How To Become A Cable Machine Operator: What It Is and Career Path

What is a cable machine operator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a cable machine operator. For example, did you know that they make an average of $16.54 an hour? That's $34,394 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow -8% and produce -83,800 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreCable Machine OperatorUS Average

Salary

2.7

Avg. Salary $34,394

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.0

Growth rate -8%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.86%

Asian 5.94%

Black or African American 4.78%

Hispanic or Latino 14.38%

Unknown 5.35%

White 68.69%

Gender

female 14.15%

male 85.85%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress level

6.0

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.2

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.1

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a cable machine operator

Explore cable machine operator education requirements

Most common cable machine operator degrees

High School Diploma

57.1 %

Associate

16.7 %

Diploma

11.9 %

Start to develop specific cable machine operator skills

Skills	Percentages
Safety Checks	58.18%
Computer System	24.07%
Electrical Cables	17.74%

Complete relevant cable machine operator training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New cable machine operators learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a cable machine operator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real cable machine operator resumes.

Research cable machine operator duties and responsibilities

Manage the levels of chemicals to make sure process run correctly for making Styrofoam.
Set up and operate extrusion and cabling machines in wire and cable manufacturer.
Train new hires -setup and operate cable extrusion machines to jacket braid wire.
Check work pieces for defects, operate machines such as cutters and heating extruders.

Prepare your cable machine operator resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your cable machine operator resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a cable machine operator resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable cable machine operator resume templates

Build a professional cable machine operator resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your cable machine operator resume.