How To Become An Instrument Specialist: What It Is and Career Path

What is an instrument specialist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

An instrument specialist does more than planning and designing. An instrument specialist uses tools and devices for the operation and production of different projects. They are tasked to ensure that the instruments and other equipment are working efficiently and safely. They also repair, test, and inspect mechanical equipment with the help of a technician.

Since an instrument specialist makes sure that equipment and tools are working properly, they should possess mechanical skills. This is an important skill alongside writing skills and math skills. They can work in different industries such as manufacturing, pharmaceutical, aeronautics, and electronics. In the current era dominated by technology, an instrument specialist handles a significant role in almost every niche.

A person can be an instrument specialist with only a GED or a high school degree. The average salary of an instrument specialist is $62,338, and one can also become a senior operations manager after having enough experience and responsibilities.

ScoreInstrument SpecialistUS Average

Salary

5.3

Avg. Salary $67,699

Avg. Salary $59,228

Diversity

2.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.15%

Asian 8.05%

Black or African American 6.26%

Hispanic or Latino 10.43%

Unknown 4.32%

White 70.79%

Gender

female 18.71%

male 81.29%

Age - 52

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 - 52

Stress level

5.5

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.0

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.2

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an instrument specialist

Explore instrument specialist education requirements

Most common instrument specialist degrees

Bachelor's

53.9 %

Associate

24.8 %

Master's

7.7 %

Start to develop specific instrument specialist skills

Skills	Percentages
PLC	7.83%
Chemistry	6.72%
Laboratory Equipment	5.63%
Troubleshoot	5.18%
Surgical Instruments	4.16%

Complete relevant instrument specialist training and internships

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

Research instrument specialist duties and responsibilities

Accomplish team sales of 464K in clinical chemistry and hematology instrumentation.
Calibrate and maintain plant instrumentation including HVAC, valves, transmitters, indicators, controllers and recorders.
Calibrate, troubleshoot and repair electrical and electronics equipment including PLC's, utility equipment and machinery computers.
Procure and maintain NIST traceable standards.

Prepare your instrument specialist resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your instrument specialist 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 an instrument specialist resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable instrument specialist resume templates

Build a professional instrument specialist 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 instrument specialist resume.