How To Become A Production Worker: What It Is and Career Path

Q: How long does it take to become a Production Worker?

It takes 3 years of professional experience to become a production worker. That is the time it takes to learn specific production worker skills, but does not account for time spent in formal education.

Q: Do you need a degree to work in a factory?

No, you do not need a degree to work an entry-level job in a factory. The minimum requirement for most entry-level jobs in a factory is a high school diploma or its equivalent. While factory work is considered one of the best career options for people with only a high school diploma, there is a growing market for employees with a college degree. This growing share of factory jobs that are now going to college graduates is occurring as manufacturers upgrade their plants with robots and complex software programs.

Q: How do you become a production team member?

To become a production team member requires a high school diploma and a drive to work in manufacturing. A high school diploma or GED is usually the only educational requirement for most production worker jobs.

Q: What education do you need to be a production operator?

The education a person needs to be a production operator typically depends on the industry, but a person needs at minimum a high school diploma or its equivalent. However, many specialized production operator positions will require an associate's or bachelor's degree to be hired.

Q: What is a production worker professional?

A production worker professional is an individual who operates machines on a production line. This professional may be involved in all stages of production or be responsible for a specific part of the production process.

What is a production worker and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

A production worker is an employee who is responsible for the assembly and manufacture of goods in a factory or production facility. They typically work on an assembly line, operating machinery to create finished products. Production workers may also be responsible for quality control. They may work in a variety of industries, including manufacturing, food production, and textiles. The role requires physical stamina, attention to detail, and the ability to work well with a team.

ScoreProduction WorkerUS Average

Salary

2.4

Avg. Salary $30,847

Avg. Salary $59,228

Diversity

10.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.07%

Asian 7.05%

Black or African American 10.94%

Hispanic or Latino 14.56%

Unknown 4.47%

White 61.90%

Gender

female 43.68%

male 56.32%

Age - 44

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 - 44

Stress Level

4.9

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

6.4

Complexity Level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

6.2

Work Life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a Production Worker?

Pros

Opportunity to gain experience in manufacturing industry
Chance to develop technical skills and knowledge
Benefits such as health insurance and retirement plans
Potential for advancement within the company
Many production jobs are unionized, offering increased job security

Cons

Repetitive tasks can become monotonous and boring
Jobs may be located in industrial areas or require long commutes
May require standing or working in uncomfortable positions for long periods of time
Some positions may require working overnight or on weekends
Production quotas or deadlines may lead to stress and pressure to perform quickly

Key steps to become a production worker

Explore production worker education requirements

Most common production worker degrees

High School Diploma

52.3 %

Associate

15.6 %

Diploma

14.7 %

Start to develop specific production worker skills

Skills	Percentages
Production Process	15.43%
Safety Procedures	10.24%
Assembly Line	10.07%
Basic Math	9.82%
Quality Standards	6.12%

Research production worker duties and responsibilities

Manage and instruct workers in the art of food preparation as culinary team leader.
Require to know safe food practices like HACCP, and knowing USDA and FDA guidelines when handling and storing foods.
Use scribers, dividers, and squares to mark dimensions on material.
Produce glace, demi-glace and elite culinary sauces.

Prepare your production worker resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your production worker 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 production worker resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Production Worker Resume templates

Build a professional Production Worker 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 Production Worker resume.

Apply for production worker jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a production worker 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 Did You Land Your First Production Worker Job

Patty Gibson

Production Worker

My name is Patty and I've worked in production for over thirty years. I started at Metal Flex as an ID welder in the late 1990's. I continued to move on based on wages and benefits.

I worked as a sealer sander for Ethen Allen. A military helmet molder and assembler, an exercise equipment assembler, maple packaging and today, I run lathes to produce inner ocular contact lenses for Bausch and Lomb.

I've learned lean manufacturing practices to be the most efficient I could be as speed and repetition is always expected.

One must take pride in what they are producing to make quality products. It's hard work, very fast, many changes and employees come and go.

I'm fortunate today, as the money is never enough in manufacturing but the work environment speaks volumes. And supervisors who are engaged makes a huge difference.

How do production workers rate their job?

-/5

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Production Worker reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2022

Pros

Was always Busy. And was able to see the product tested

Production Worker FAQs

What is a production worker and how to become one

What are the pros and cons of being a Production Worker?

Production Worker career paths

Key steps to become a production worker

Explore production worker education requirements

Most common production worker degrees

Start to develop specific production worker skills

Research production worker duties and responsibilities

Prepare your production worker resume

Choose From 10+ Customizable Production Worker Resume templates

Apply for production worker jobs

How Did You Land Your First Production Worker Job

Average production worker salary

How do production workers rate their job?

Production Worker reviews

Production Worker FAQs

How long does it take to become a Production Worker?

Do you need a degree to work in a factory?

How do you become a production team member?

What education do you need to be a production operator?

What is a production worker professional?

Search for production worker jobs

Production Worker jobs by state