How To Become A Compressor: What It Is and Career Path

What is a compressor and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a compressor. For example, did you know that they make an average of $24.29 an hour? That's $50,528 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow -6% and produce -114,900 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreCompressorUS Average

Salary

3.9

Avg. Salary $50,528

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.7

Growth rate -6%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

10.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.08%

Asian 2.79%

Black or African American 12.13%

Hispanic or Latino 23.46%

Unknown 3.80%

White 56.74%

Gender

female 10.19%

male 89.81%

Age - 45

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 - 45

Stress level

6.7

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.6

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.6

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a compressor

Explore compressor education requirements

Most common compressor degrees

High School Diploma

31.3 %

Bachelor's

27.1 %

Associate

20.8 %

Start to develop specific compressor skills

Skills	Percentages
Assembly Line	62.88%
Gas Compressors	37.12%

Complete relevant compressor training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New compressors 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 compressor based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real compressor resumes.

Research compressor duties and responsibilities

Have visited various locations and have accomplished field preventive maintenance on compressors.
Have visited various locations and have accomplished field preventive maintenance on compressors.
Submit data to Chrysler through VPM and Autoweb.
Complete necessary checks on product including weight, thickness, hardness, friability, and dissolution.

Prepare your compressor resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your compressor 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 compressor resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable compressor resume templates

Build a professional compressor 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 compressor resume.