Manufacturing Production Technician
Impact: Direct, tangible impact on product quality and production efficiency.
Production technicians provide essential services to manufacturing facilities as they help assemble goods and test them for major faults. They operate and maintain production equipment, follow production schedules, monitor processes, and perform routine maintenance to ensure smooth and efficient production.
What the day looks like
- People interaction
- Moderate
- Team vs solo
- Team-oriented
- Client facing
- Never
- Impact visibility
- High
- Travel
- Low
- Schedule flexibility
- Rigid
- Remote work
- On-site Only
- Typical work hours
- 40 hours/week
- Stress level
- Moderate
At a glance
- Median salary
- $51,000
- Entry-level
- $42,000
- Senior
- $65,000
- Growth by 2033
- 5%
- Demand
- Stable
- Freelance potential
- Low
- Salary growth potential
- Moderate
- Typical student debt
- $15,000 - $25,000
Skills you'll use
Hard skills
- Equipment Operation
- Quality Control
- Troubleshooting
- Mechanical Aptitude
- Safety Procedures
Soft skills
- Attention to Detail
- Problem-Solving
- Communication
Technical complexity: Moderate
How to get there
- Minimum education
- High School Diploma or equivalent; some vocational training preferred
- Licensing
- No
- 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
- Lead Technician, Supervisor, Maintenance Manager
Future outlook
- Automation probability
- Medium
- AI disruption risk
- Low
- Demand trend
- Stable
How people feel about it
- Overall satisfaction
- 3.5/10
- Meaning
- 3.5/10
- Work-life balance
- 3.5/10
- Prestige
- 5.5/10
- Social perception
- Moderate