How To Become A Non-Destructive Testing Specialist: What It Is and Career Path

What is a non-destructive testing specialist 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 non-destructive testing specialist. For example, did you know that they make an average of $23.36 an hour? That's $48,596 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow -3% and produce -17,200 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreNon-Destructive Testing SpecialistUS Average

Salary

3.8

Avg. Salary $48,596

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.5

Growth rate -3%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.2

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.67%

Asian 8.17%

Black or African American 6.86%

Hispanic or Latino 11.74%

Unknown 4.64%

White 67.94%

Gender

female 30.95%

male 69.05%

Age - 46

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 - 46

Stress level

7.5

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.3

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

2.1

Work life balance is very poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a non-destructive testing specialist

Explore non-destructive testing specialist education requirements

Most common non-destructive testing specialist degrees

Bachelor's

44.0 %

Associate

36.0 %

High School Diploma

12.0 %

Start to develop specific non-destructive testing specialist skills

Skills	Percentages
NDT	24.92%
Destructive Testing	20.37%
PT	10.16%
Magnetic Particle	9.18%
Inspection Methods	7.22%

Complete relevant non-destructive testing specialist training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New non-destructive testing 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 a non-destructive testing specialist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real non-destructive testing specialist resumes.

Research non-destructive testing specialist duties and responsibilities

Supervise and direct the work of non-destructive testing (NDT) trainees and staff.
Develop and implement NDT methods using all aforemention disciplines.
Perform NDE inspections at nuclear, chemical, oil/petrochemical plants and various manufacturing facilities.
Perform NDE inspections at nuclear, chemical, oil/petrochemical plants and various manufacturing facilities.

Prepare your non-destructive testing specialist resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your non-destructive testing 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 a non-destructive testing 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 non-destructive testing specialist resume templates

Build a professional non-destructive testing 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 non-destructive testing specialist resume.