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

What is a steam plant 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 steam plant operator. For example, did you know that they make an average of $21.83 an hour? That's $45,404 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow -15% and produce -6,500 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreSteam Plant OperatorUS Average

Salary

3.5

Avg. Salary $45,404

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.4

Growth rate -15%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

2.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 2.38%

Asian 1.51%

Black or African American 5.98%

Hispanic or Latino 8.00%

Unknown 5.47%

White 76.67%

Gender

female 7.10%

male 92.90%

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

7.4

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.4

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

7.0

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a steam plant operator

Explore steam plant operator education requirements

Most common steam plant operator degrees

Bachelor's

34.5 %

High School Diploma

29.1 %

Associate

21.8 %

Start to develop specific steam plant operator skills

Skills	Percentages
General Maintenance	15.11%
Plant Equipment	12.86%
Water Pumps	11.69%
Mechanical Equipment	10.70%
Loaders	7.65%

Complete relevant steam plant operator training and internships

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

Research steam plant operator duties and responsibilities

Manage and perform preventive maintenance, electrical repairs, millwright work, and MSHA safety functions.
Prepare asphalt mixtures per customer requirements, load and unload tankers and monitor tanks and assist with paperwork
Train in adult CPR and general first aid.
Insure that lock-out and tag-out procedures are perform safely and in compliance with APS guidelines.

Prepare your steam plant operator resume

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

Build a professional steam plant 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 steam plant operator resume.