1. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Troy, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$53,880
Enrollment
6,590
Utility operators are skilled in the installation and repair of utilities. They operate and control different machines and are in charge of maintaining the equipment, spotting malfunctions, and keeping the work area clean and organized. They also conduct weekly site safety audits and ensure compliance with safety regulations.
Utility operators earn a median sum of $18 per hour, which amounts to $38,000 per year. Utility operators work with all sorts of utility systems, such as water piping, wastewater plants, electrical cabling, and many more, to create finished products. Then, they test the products and package them in preparation for shipment, and all these things are done within a sterilized environment to prevent contamination. They also respond to emergencies and perform casualty operations when needed.
Utility operators typically have a high school diploma or its equivalent. It will be best to have a higher academic degree, such as a bachelor's degree in business, for candidates hoping to advance in the field. They are also expected to be dexterous and have a significant level of hands-on training. Some employers also prefer candidates with excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
There are certain skills that many utility operators have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed analytical skills, detail oriented and math skills.
If you're interested in becoming a utility operator, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 21.1% of utility operators have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 1.4% of utility operators have master's degrees. Even though some utility operators have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
In addition to switching up your job search, it might prove helpful to look at a career path for your specific job. Now, what's a career path you ask? Well, it's practically a map that shows how you might advance from one job title to another. Our career paths are especially detailed with salary changes. So, for example, if you started out with the role of maintenance technician you might progress to a role such as technician eventually. Later on in your career, you could end up with the title service manager.
What Am I Worth?
The role of a utility operator includes a wide range of responsibilities. These responsibilities can vary based on an individual's specific job, company, or industry.Here are some general utility operator responsibilities:
There are several types of utility operator, including:
Someone has to operate the machine - why not you? Machine operators are able to transfer a variety of objects through the use of machinery. So if driving a forklift around sounds like your idea of fun, then maybe this is the job for you.
Some machine operators need training in order to operate certain machinery such as cranes and excavators. The hours you work as a machine operator can vary, but often include overtime, night shifts, and weekend shifts.
As a machine operator, you have lots of industries you could go into, from warehousing and storage to food manufacturing and construction. The list goes on and on. Depending on the industry, your work can take you outside or you may get to work inside.
As a forklift operator, the majority of your time will be spent riding around on a forklift. You'll use it to move objects around so, unfortunately, there will be no time for any funny business. In fact, you'll probably need to follow some safety rules to ensure no one gets hurt.
There really aren't any formal education requirements, but you will probably need to be trained on how to operate the machine. Since products and materials are shipped at all times, you may need to stay late or even work an overnight shift from time to time.
And you better believe you'll get some overtime hours from being a forklift operator, which will be a nice little surprise when it's payday. Plus, did we mention you get to drive a forklift around. Sure, you have to be careful moving objects and trying to avoid running over your co-workers but, hey, at least you get to drive a forklift.
As an operator, it's your job to know how specific equipment or machines work. You should know how to install and repair certain machinery as well as knowing how to use tools to help with the manufacturing process.
Operators often spend their time checking in on equipment and making sure it's properly working. Every problem that is detected, you'll often call upon an operators to come and save the day. They're essentially the superhero in an office setting.
In most cases, operators work full-time, normal hours. But when a client needs help, you'll need to be available. which means that sometimes duty calls at night or on the weekends.
Mouse over a state to see the number of active utility operator jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where utility operators earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.
Rank | State | Number of Jobs | Average Salary |
---|---|---|---|
1 | California | 1,735 | $54,596 |
2 | Massachusetts | 1,322 | $43,849 |
3 | Texas | 1,063 | $33,498 |
4 | Pennsylvania | 995 | $41,472 |
5 | Georgia | 979 | $32,179 |
6 | Illinois | 917 | $45,502 |
7 | Ohio | 893 | $36,652 |
8 | Florida | 867 | $36,339 |
9 | Indiana | 859 | $40,387 |
10 | New Jersey | 853 | $45,011 |
11 | North Carolina | 765 | $32,123 |
12 | Wisconsin | 668 | $44,464 |
13 | Minnesota | 639 | $44,017 |
14 | New York | 541 | $45,831 |
15 | Tennessee | 504 | $34,843 |
16 | Michigan | 474 | $38,795 |
17 | Iowa | 419 | $44,575 |
18 | Virginia | 395 | $40,973 |
19 | Missouri | 387 | $37,022 |
20 | Kentucky | 347 | $33,612 |
21 | Arizona | 336 | $44,078 |
22 | South Carolina | 335 | $27,835 |
23 | Maryland | 314 | $37,074 |
24 | Alabama | 284 | $33,525 |
25 | Washington | 279 | $60,018 |
26 | Utah | 272 | $42,465 |
27 | Colorado | 261 | $48,535 |
28 | Oregon | 222 | $45,305 |
29 | Kansas | 221 | $36,096 |
30 | Connecticut | 213 | $43,736 |
31 | Mississippi | 200 | $29,859 |
32 | Nebraska | 186 | $44,404 |
33 | Arkansas | 175 | $30,251 |
34 | Louisiana | 174 | $30,110 |
35 | New Hampshire | 164 | $40,066 |
36 | Rhode Island | 147 | $44,301 |
37 | Oklahoma | 130 | $33,225 |
38 | Nevada | 129 | $45,151 |
39 | Hawaii | 120 | $41,667 |
40 | Alaska | 111 | $51,137 |
41 | Idaho | 106 | $61,878 |
42 | Maine | 103 | $56,149 |
43 | Delaware | 83 | $43,608 |
44 | Vermont | 81 | $52,829 |
45 | South Dakota | 77 | $39,947 |
46 | West Virginia | 75 | $41,219 |
47 | Montana | 65 | $39,130 |
48 | New Mexico | 63 | $36,293 |
49 | North Dakota | 55 | $50,659 |
50 | Wyoming | 40 | $42,192 |
Troy, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$53,880
Enrollment
6,590
Stanford, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
University Park, PA • Private
In-State Tuition
$18,454
Enrollment
40,108
Lafayette, LA • Private
In-State Tuition
$9,912
Enrollment
14,245
Alfred, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$8,570
Enrollment
3,721
Durham, NC • Private
In-State Tuition
$55,695
Enrollment
6,596
Fairfield, CT • Private
In-State Tuition
$41,420
Enrollment
5,907
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-State Tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
Evanston, IL • Private
In-State Tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
Adrian, MI • Private
In-State Tuition
$27,124
Enrollment
2,035
The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 23.1% of utility operators listed safety standards on their resume, but soft skills such as analytical skills and detail oriented are important as well.
Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Utility Operator templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Utility Operator resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.
After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
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Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a utility operator. The best states for people in this position are Idaho, Washington, Maine, and California. Utility operators make the most in Idaho with an average salary of $61,878. Whereas in Washington and Maine, they would average $60,018 and $56,149, respectively. While utility operators would only make an average of $54,596 in California, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
1. Vermont
$52,829
Avg. Salary
2. Alaska
$51,137
Avg. Salary
3. Maine
$56,149
Avg. Salary
Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | The Kraft Group | $48,452 | $23.29 | 21 |
2 | Anheuser-Busch | $45,370 | $21.81 | 34 |
3 | Schreiber Foods | $43,636 | $20.98 | 17 |
4 | Osram Sylvania | $42,521 | $20.44 | 17 |
5 | Land O'Lakes | $42,371 | $20.37 | 79 |
6 | Cargill | $41,582 | $19.99 | 42 |
7 | BASF | $41,068 | $19.74 | 18 |
8 | Pella | $40,887 | $19.66 | 20 |
9 | CARBO | $40,537 | $19.49 | 55 |
10 | International Paper | $39,821 | $19.14 | 60 |