Also called: Operating Engineer (Building)
Operates and maintains boilers, chillers, and big mechanical systems in buildings and plants.
You take readings on a hospital's steam boilers every few hours, fix a leaking valve, and test emergency generators.
Apprenticeship, about 4 years after high school. Apprenticeship or on-the-job training plus a state stationary engineer license.
Ways in: Apprenticeship, On-the-job training, Certification. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Majors to look at: Power Plant Technology, HVAC Technology.
Shrinking (about -2% over 10 years). BLS projects slight decline; retirements create openings.
Low risk in 5 years, medium in 10. AI building controls run boilers and chillers more on their own, so plants need fewer operators per shift.
Classes: Physics, Chemistry, HVAC CTE.
Official data: O*NET occupation 51-8021.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.