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

What is a unit 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 unit operator. For example, did you know that they make an average of $19.8 an hour? That's $41,192 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 7% and produce 56,900 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreUnit OperatorUS Average

Salary

3.2

Avg. Salary $41,192

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

9.2

Growth Rate 7%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

7.6

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 2.25%

Asian 1.22%

Black or African American 9.31%

Hispanic or Latino 19.37%

Unknown 4.21%

White 63.65%

Gender

female 14.49%

male 85.51%

Age - 39

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 - 39

Stress Level

9.2

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

9.8

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

0.4

Work Life balance is

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a unit operator

Explore unit operator education requirements

Most common unit operator degrees

Bachelor's

37.5 %

High School Diploma

26.2 %

Associate

25.2 %

Start to develop specific unit operator skills

Skills	Percentages
Asphalt	26.99%
Plant Equipment	20.83%
Safety Procedures	10.66%
Control Room	6.75%
Unit Operations	6.19%

Complete relevant unit operator training and internships

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

Research unit operator duties and responsibilities

Manage and maintain GPS and other equipment.
Drill frac plugs in time efficient manner.
Coordinate, and execute safety programs, JSA's, and reports.
Make Maximo request to get desire jobs put on schedule for repairs.

Prepare your unit operator resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your unit 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 unit 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 Unit Operator Resume templates

Build a professional Unit 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 Unit Operator resume.

Apply for unit operator jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a unit operator 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 do unit operators rate their job?

-/5

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Unit Operator reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2020

Pros

I like working in the field. Meet people that have a lot of experience. Learn from them.

Cons

Where oil price drop, I don't like getting laid off and staying home. I want to stay busy.