An instrument technician is in charge of testing, repairing, and inspecting all manufacturing equipment. He/She ensures that the machines are functioning properly. He/She works with engineers to develop and produce equipment designs. Similarly, he/she advises process technicians on the equipment operation. Also, he/she tests and repairs instrumentation systems use by production equipment. This is to ensure compliance with established performance levels and product quality. Furthermore, he/she analyzes instruments to establish a repair plan and documents and verifies problems and actions taken.
Instrument technicians find employment in chemical plants, petroleum refineries, canneries, and food processing plants. This role requires a minimum of a high school diploma or its equivalent. You must possess maths, comprehension, problem-solving, critical thinking, analytical, computer, mechanical, communication, and decision-making skills. You need at least a year of relevant work experience. The average salary of these experts is $46,669 annually, or $22.44 per hour. It varies between $34,000 and $62,000.
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being an Instrument Technician. For example, did you know that they make an average of $21.69 an hour? That's $45,107 a year!
Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 0% and produce 200 job opportunities across the U.S.
There are certain skills that many Instrument Technicians have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed Math skills, Mechanical skills and Writing skills.
If you're interested in becoming an Instrument Technician, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 22.2% of Instrument Technicians have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 1.8% of Instrument Technicians have master's degrees. Even though some Instrument Technicians have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Choosing the right major is always an important step when researching how to become an Instrument Technician. When we researched the most common majors for an Instrument Technician, we found that they most commonly earn Associate Degree degrees or Bachelor's Degree degrees. Other degrees that we often see on Instrument Technician resumes include High School Diploma degrees or Diploma degrees.
You may find that experience in other jobs will help you become an Instrument Technician. In fact, many Instrument Technician jobs require experience in a role such as Electrician. Meanwhile, many Instrument Technicians also have previous career experience in roles such as Electronics Technician or Technician.