mechanical engineering preferred

Chemical plant and system operators, sometimes called process technicians or operations technicians,operate machines that process chemicals and make sure that they are functioning correctly. Process technicians usually work in factories. This is an entry-level position, and most employers don't require process technicians to have formal education beyond a high school diploma.

Salary by Industry Sector

Over a third of all process technicians worked in basic chemical manufacturing as of 2013, where they earned an average salary of $55,980 per year, close to the average for all industry sectors. Some manufacturing sectors tend to pay a bit less, such as pesticide and fertilizer manufacturing ($52,230) and pharmaceutical manufacturing ($52,790). Other industry sectors offered substantially higher wages, such as petroleum and coal products manufacturing ($58,540) and plastics manufacturing ($67,070).

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, about 38,300 Americans worked as process technicians in 2012. However, this number is expected to decline substantially as manufacturing declines, and most job opportunities will arise only when current workers retire, says he BLS. While the overall U.S. economy was expected to grow at a rate of 11 percent between 2012 and 2022, the number of chemical systems operator jobs was expected to decline by 11 percent. At this rate, the number of jobs for process technicians is expected to decline by about 4,400 jobs by 2022.

An IT analyst, also called a systems analyst, designs and implements information systems that optimize organizational efficiency. The process begins with managers, who provide the IT analyst with a broad objective, like capturing marketing research data. The IT analyst employs modeling, information engineering and cost-based accounting to develop a system that satisfies both management and end-users in the most cost-effective and efficient way possible. Upon approval, the IT analyst oversees its implementation by managing programmers, coders and equipment vendors to ensure the design is properly executed in a timely manner and stays within budget. The IT analyst also debugs the system and ensures that it is error-free.

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