Irrigation Technician
Impact: Resource conservation, Property value enhancement, Agricultural productivity
Install, maintain, and repair agricultural and landscape irrigation systems, including plumbing and sprinkler components. Diagnose malfunctions, perform adjustments, and ensure optimal system performance.
What the day looks like
- People interaction
- Moderate
- Team vs solo
- 60% Solo / 40% Team
- Client facing
- Sometimes
- Impact visibility
- High
- Travel
- Frequent local travel to job sites
- Schedule flexibility
- Structured
- Remote work
- On-site Only
- Typical work hours
- 40-50 hours/week
- Stress level
- Moderate
At a glance
- Median salary
- $56,550
- Entry-level
- $35,000 - $45,000
- Senior
- $70,000 - $85,000
- Growth by 2033
- 8% (faster than average)
- Demand
- Growing
- Freelance potential
- High
- Salary growth potential
- Moderate to 60-90% growth from entry to senior
- Typical student debt
- $5,000 - $15,000
Skills you'll use
Hard skills
- Irrigation System Installation
- Pump Repair
- Valve Maintenance
- Wiring Diagrams
- Pipefitting
- Diagnostics
- Water Management Software
Soft skills
- Troubleshooting
- Active Listening
- Attention to Detail
- Dependability
- Problem Solving
Technical complexity: Moderate
How to get there
- Minimum education
- Certificate or Vocational Training
- Licensing
- Varies by State
- Years to mid-career
- 3-5 years
- Years to senior
- 7-10 years
- Career switching
- Moderate
Where this career leads
How people arrive here
Where you can go from here
Typical progression
- Technician Assistant
- Irrigation Technician
- Senior Irrigation Technician
- Irrigation Supervisor/Manager
Future outlook
- Automation probability
- 15% to low risk due to hands-on repair and diagnostic components
- AI disruption risk
- Low
- Demand trend
- Growing
How people feel about it
- Overall satisfaction
- 3.4/10
- Meaning
- 3.6/10
- Work-life balance
- 3.2/10
- Prestige
- 5.5/10
- Social perception
- Moderate