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

What is a desktop operator 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 desktop operator. For example, did you know that they make an average of $24.61 an hour? That's $51,191 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow -14% and produce -1,300 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreDesktop OperatorUS Average

Salary

4.0

Avg. Salary $51,191

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.1

Growth rate -14%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

9.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.89%

Asian 7.40%

Black or African American 11.11%

Hispanic or Latino 15.78%

Unknown 4.97%

White 59.84%

Gender

female 38.80%

male 61.20%

Age - 42

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 - 42

Stress level

7.1

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.1

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

3.5

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a desktop operator

Explore desktop operator education requirements

Most common desktop operator degrees

Bachelor's

50.0 %

Associate

27.8 %

High School Diploma

15.9 %

Start to develop specific desktop operator skills

Skills	Percentages
Adobe Photoshop	14.39%
Mac	13.62%
Adobe Indesign	8.97%
Quark	7.75%
PC	7.51%

Complete relevant desktop operator training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New desktop 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 desktop operator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real desktop operator resumes.

Research desktop operator duties and responsibilities

Lead a cross discipline team to develop a new SERB database for Westlaw.
Create cover reprints using QuarkXpress.
Install, configure and support PC hardware and software.
Assemble pages in QuarkXpress 3.1 and impose in INposition 1.5.

Prepare your desktop operator resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your desktop 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 desktop 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 desktop operator resume templates

Build a professional desktop 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 desktop operator resume.