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

What is a hot end 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 hot end operator. For example, did you know that they make an average of $18.09 an hour? That's $37,629 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 7% and produce 56,900 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreHot End OperatorUS Average

Salary

2.9

Avg. Salary $37,629

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.7

Growth rate 7%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.2

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.15%

Asian 12.40%

Black or African American 7.44%

Hispanic or Latino 5.42%

Unknown 5.66%

White 67.94%

Gender

female 15.63%

male 84.38%

Age - 49

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 - 49

Stress level

7.7

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.6

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

7.1

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a hot end operator

Explore hot end operator education requirements

Most common hot end operator degrees

High School Diploma

46.7 %

Associate

23.3 %

Diploma

13.3 %

Start to develop specific hot end operator skills

Skills	Percentages
Control Room	42.94%
Quality Checks	18.24%
Chemical Application	17.00%
Hot End	12.62%
Fiberglass Insulation	9.19%

Complete relevant hot end operator training and internships

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

Research hot end operator duties and responsibilities

Operate heavy machinery such as bobcat equipment and also operate and pave asphalt perform demolition work.
Monitor starch levels, Baume', pH, and temperature.

Prepare your hot end operator resume

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

Build a professional hot end 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 hot end operator resume.