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

What is a hydro 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 hydro operator. For example, did you know that they make an average of $19.68 an hour? That's $40,931 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 7% and produce 56,900 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreHydro OperatorUS Average

Salary

3.2

Avg. Salary $40,931

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.3

Growth rate 7%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.86%

Asian 4.65%

Black or African American 9.94%

Hispanic or Latino 18.12%

Unknown 4.82%

White 61.62%

Gender

female 3.42%

male 96.58%

Age - 47

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 - 47

Stress level

8.3

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.2

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.1

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a hydro operator

Explore hydro operator education requirements

Most common hydro operator degrees

High School Diploma

40.7 %

Associate

20.9 %

Bachelor's

19.8 %

Start to develop specific hydro operator skills

Skills	Percentages
CDL	45.58%
Safety Procedures	12.62%
Industrial Cleaning	8.97%
DOT	6.95%
Hydro Blasting	4.23%

Complete relevant hydro operator training and internships

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

Research hydro operator duties and responsibilities

Used high-pressure water and vacuum system to excavate debris from oil drilling rig tanks and other various containers.
Operate heavy machinery such as bobcat equipment and also operate and pave asphalt perform demolition work.
Instruct several in-house classes to include H2S awareness and hazard awareness.

Prepare your hydro operator resume

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

Build a professional hydro 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 hydro operator resume.