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

What is a power system 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 power system operator. For example, did you know that they make an average of $33.68 an hour? That's $70,058 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow -7% and produce -8,600 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScorePower System OperatorUS Average

Salary

5.5

Avg. Salary $70,058

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.6

Growth rate -7%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.2

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 2.37%

Asian 1.74%

Black or African American 5.29%

Hispanic or Latino 8.76%

Unknown 4.50%

White 77.35%

Gender

female 13.89%

male 86.11%

Age - 47.5

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 - 47.5

Stress level

8.6

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.2

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

7.8

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a power system operator

Explore power system operator education requirements

Most common power system operator degrees

Bachelor's

48.0 %

Associate

20.0 %

Master's

12.0 %

Start to develop specific power system operator skills

Skills	Percentages
SCADA	100.00%

Complete relevant power system operator training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New power system 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 power system operator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real power system operator resumes.

Research power system operator duties and responsibilities

Manage trouble ticketing systems and escalations to ensure VoIP service availability.
Gain on-hand experience establishing and maintaining LOS radio links with corresponding elements in tactical environments.
Provide excellent customer service and significantly improve the MSE equipment repair rate.

Prepare your power system operator resume

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

Build a professional power system 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 power system operator resume.

Apply for power system operator jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a power system operator job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do power system operators rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Power system operator reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2019

Pros

Recieving the opportunity to train and educate myself with certified training. To be able to communicate and contribute a well documented dispatch call with accurate detailed information to complete the job.

Cons

I do not like to be stressed. I don't want to be poorly trained to do a superior job effort.

A zippia user wrote a review on Mar 2019