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

What is a dredge 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 dredge operator. For example, did you know that they make an average of $17.96 an hour? That's $37,358 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 7% and produce 56,900 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreDredge OperatorUS Average

Salary

2.9

Avg. Salary $37,358

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.8

Growth rate 7%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

7.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.73%

Asian 0.79%

Black or African American 7.70%

Hispanic or Latino 19.49%

Unknown 4.30%

White 66.98%

Gender

female 0.68%

male 99.32%

Age - 39

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 - 39

Stress level

5.8

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.2

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.7

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a dredge operator

Explore dredge operator education requirements

Most common dredge operator degrees

High School Diploma

44.7 %

Associate

25.5 %

Diploma

14.9 %

Start to develop specific dredge operator skills

Skills	Percentages
Processing Plant	15.46%
Hydraulic Pumps	13.67%
Routine Maintenance	13.30%
Excavations	12.58%
Booms	10.81%

Complete relevant dredge operator training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New dredge 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 dredge operator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real dredge operator resumes.

Research dredge operator duties and responsibilities

Lower anchor poles to verify depths of excavations or scan depth gauges to determine depths of excavations.
Identify electrical, plumbing and safety problems applicable to the installation and take necessary corrective action.
Conduct rig movements during drilling operations.

Prepare your dredge operator resume

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

Build a professional dredge 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 dredge operator resume.