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

What is a tape 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 tape operator. For example, did you know that they make an average of $29.02 an hour? That's $60,356 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 10% and produce 12,100 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreTape OperatorUS Average

Salary

4.7

Avg. Salary $60,356

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.0

Growth rate 10%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.57%

Asian 12.32%

Black or African American 8.59%

Hispanic or Latino 9.87%

Unknown 4.90%

White 63.75%

Gender

female 24.09%

male 75.91%

Age - 43

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 - 43

Stress level

5.0

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.2

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.2

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a tape operator

Explore tape operator education requirements

Most common tape operator degrees

Bachelor's

51.4 %

Associate

24.5 %

High School Diploma

14.0 %

Start to develop specific tape operator skills

Skills	Percentages
Tape Library	23.41%
Troubleshoot	15.72%
Mainframe	4.76%
Unix	4.47%
QC	3.86%

Complete relevant tape operator training and internships

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

Research tape operator duties and responsibilities

Create large quantities of VHS dubs from master tapes both digital & analog formats.
Duplicate tapes into D2 , 1", 3/4"and 1/2"formats.
Operate all standard def machines and exposure to high def machines (D5, HDCAM, DVCPRO HD).
Respond to console and ATL messages.

Prepare your tape operator resume

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

Build a professional tape 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 tape operator resume.