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

What is a transmission 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 transmission system operator. For example, did you know that they make an average of $42.4 an hour? That's $88,200 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow -7% and produce -8,600 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreTransmission System OperatorUS Average

Salary

6.9

Avg. Salary $88,200

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.6

Growth rate -7%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.6

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 2.64%

Asian 1.84%

Black or African American 7.78%

Hispanic or Latino 12.63%

Unknown 4.58%

White 70.54%

Gender

female 14.62%

male 85.38%

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 transmission system operator

Explore transmission system operator education requirements

Most common transmission system operator degrees

Bachelor's

33.1 %

Associate

31.2 %

High School Diploma

26.1 %

Start to develop specific transmission system operator skills

Skills	Percentages
Transmitters	25.55%
Radio Equipment	20.09%
Transmission Vehicles	16.58%
Power Generators	12.39%
Diagnostic Equipment	10.88%

Complete relevant transmission system operator training and internships

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

Research transmission system operator duties and responsibilities

Establish, manage, and troubleshot line-of-sight UHF, SHF, and other radio systems equipment.
Lead basic reconnaissance operations and report enemy movements to commanding officers.
Assist internal users with system issues, such as terminals, printers and reports.
Provide daily operational support of NT and UNIX platforms running business and consumer services.

Prepare your transmission system operator resume

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

Build a professional transmission 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 transmission system operator resume.