Control operators work in large plants' control rooms, particularly power plants, where they monitor all of the plants' operations to ensure that everything is working correctly. They control the creation and flow of electricity from power plants to businesses, homes and factories. Control operators work at all kinds of power plants, including coal, gas, nuclear, hydroelectric, and wind and solar power.
The control operator job's high stakes nature requires them to work well under pressure and adjust quickly to changes. It helps if they remain flexible and productive in times of continuing change and high stress. They are often good analytical thinkers that are able to gather data and determine and take a course of action after identifying possible consequences. A good control room operator is a creative problem solver and a leader.
Control operators use many different tools to perform their day-to-day duties. For applicants planning to pursue a career as a control operator, they should gain proficiency in hand and power tools and essential office computer equipment and programs.
The average annual pay for a control operator in the United States is $35,341 a year or $16.99 an hour. This is the equivalent of $680/week or $2,945/month.
What is a Control Operator?
What Does a Control Operator Do
There are certain skills that many control operators have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed computer skills, physical strength and customer-service skills.
How To Become a Control Operator
If you're interested in becoming a control operator, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 58.1% of control operators have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 11.4% of control operators have master's degrees. Even though most control operators have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Control Operator Career Paths
In addition to switching up your job search, it might prove helpful to look at a career path for your specific job. Now, what's a career path you ask? Well, it's practically a map that shows how you might advance from one job title to another. Our career paths are especially detailed with salary changes. So, for example, if you started out with the role of finance analyst you might progress to a role such as senior finance analyst eventually. Later on in your career, you could end up with the title finance manager.
Average Salary for a Control Operator
What Am I Worth?
States With The Most Control Operator Jobs
Number Of Control Operator Jobs By State
| Rank | State | Number of Jobs | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts | 1,870 | $45,494 |
| 2 | California | 1,841 | $41,752 |
| 3 | New Jersey | 1,307 | $36,889 |
| 4 | Texas | 1,124 | $46,209 |
| 5 | Florida | 896 | $45,968 |
| 6 | New York | 754 | $46,172 |
| 7 | Pennsylvania | 734 | $34,156 |
| 8 | Georgia | 703 | $36,996 |
| 9 | Illinois | 601 | $46,772 |
| 10 | Virginia | 581 | $39,250 |
| 11 | North Carolina | 575 | $37,592 |
| 12 | Ohio | 562 | $39,817 |
| 13 | Michigan | 464 | $46,705 |
| 14 | Indiana | 424 | $38,629 |
| 15 | Maryland | 420 | $43,043 |
| 16 | Wisconsin | 400 | $40,301 |
| 17 | Minnesota | 376 | $41,573 |
| 18 | Colorado | 350 | $41,769 |
| 19 | South Carolina | 332 | $37,452 |
| 20 | Washington | 322 | $44,050 |
| 21 | Tennessee | 309 | $38,299 |
| 22 | Missouri | 283 | $34,924 |
| 23 | Arizona | 278 | $41,273 |
| 24 | Alabama | 268 | $39,783 |
| 25 | Iowa | 220 | $39,660 |
| 26 | Kentucky | 212 | $39,964 |
| 27 | Utah | 200 | $41,953 |
| 28 | Rhode Island | 190 | $40,388 |
| 29 | Oregon | 184 | $43,471 |
| 30 | New Hampshire | 184 | $39,942 |
| 31 | Connecticut | 182 | $40,153 |
| 32 | Kansas | 157 | $40,332 |
| 33 | Mississippi | 154 | $39,933 |
| 34 | Arkansas | 153 | $39,033 |
| 35 | Hawaii | 142 | $41,677 |
| 36 | Louisiana | 129 | $38,111 |
| 37 | Alaska | 124 | $44,248 |
| 38 | Nevada | 122 | $38,420 |
| 39 | Nebraska | 119 | $39,098 |
| 40 | Oklahoma | 119 | $37,114 |
| 41 | New Mexico | 94 | $38,606 |
| 42 | Idaho | 83 | $45,016 |
| 43 | Delaware | 72 | $36,456 |
| 44 | Montana | 57 | $39,640 |
| 45 | West Virginia | 55 | $44,773 |
| 46 | South Dakota | 52 | $39,484 |
| 47 | Maine | 50 | $39,434 |
| 48 | Wyoming | 40 | $44,847 |
| 49 | Vermont | 36 | $40,535 |
| 50 | North Dakota | 32 | $39,379 |
Top Colleges for Control Operators
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
3. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
4. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
5. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
6. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
7. Bentley University
Waltham, MA • Private
8. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
9. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
10. SUNY Stony Brook
Stony Brook, NY • Private
Top Skills For a Control Operator
The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 11.1% of control operators listed customer service on their resume, but soft skills such as computer skills and physical strength are important as well.
Choose From 10+ Customizable Control Operator Resume templates
Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Control Operator templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Control Operator resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.
Control Operator Demographics
Control Operator Gender Distribution
After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
- Among control operators, 23.2% of them are women, while 76.8% are men.
- The most common race/ethnicity among control operators is White, which makes up 70.3% of all control operators.
- The most common foreign language among control operators is Spanish at 60.5%.
Work Experience Programs For Control Operators
Virtual work experience programs replicate work at top companies and help you gain the skills to be successful when applying and working there. In only a few hours, learn the relevant tools necessary to complete a typical work day at that company. Virtual work experience programs are 100% free, open-access, and self-paced. No experience or application is required!
Company: Herbert Smith Freehills
Cost: Free
Duration: 5-6.5 hours
Company: Clifford Chance
Cost: Free
Duration: 7.5-8.5 hours
Online Courses For Control Operator That You May Like
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Best States For a Control Operator
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a control operator. The best states for people in this position are Illinois, Michigan, Texas, and New York. Control operators make the most in Illinois with an average salary of $46,772. Whereas in Michigan and Texas, they would average $46,705 and $46,209, respectively. While control operators would only make an average of $46,172 in New York, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
1. Wyoming
$44,847
Avg. Salary
2. Michigan
$46,705
Avg. Salary
3. Massachusetts
$45,494
Avg. Salary
How Do Control Operator Rate Their Jobs?
Top Control Operator Employers
Most Common Employers For Control Operator
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Merrill Lynch | $51,222 | $24.63 | 17 |
| 2 | Fresenius Kabi | $49,597 | $23.84 | 11 |
| 3 | General Electric | $48,190 | $23.17 | 14 |
| 4 | BNSF Railway | $47,320 | $22.75 | 11 |
| 5 | Halliburton | $46,577 | $22.39 | 25 |
| 6 | Allstate | $46,003 | $22.12 | 13 |
| 7 | Union Pacific | $45,407 | $21.83 | 48 |
| 8 | Schlumberger | $44,820 | $21.55 | 13 |
| 9 | Motorola Solutions | $44,648 | $21.47 | 28 |
| 10 | CSX | $43,888 | $21.10 | 26 |
Control Operator Videos
