What do they do?
Operate or control petroleum refining or processing units. May specialize in controlling manifold and pumping systems, gauging or testing oil in storage tanks, or regulating the flow of oil into pipelines.
Also known as:
Board Operator, Control Board Operator, Control Operator, Crude Unit Operator, Dock Operator, Gauger, Hydrotreater Operator, Operator, Outside Operator, Plant Operator, Process Operator, Pumper, Refinery Operator, Stillman, Unit Operator
No Data Available
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2%
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Ranks #15 in job growth rate100Job Openings
Ranks #8 in net job growth
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Colleges with the most graduates that become Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers
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- High school diploma equivalent (36%)
- Some college, no degree (28%)
- Associate's degree (13%)
- Bachelor's degree (11%)
- Less than high school diploma (9%)
- Master's degree (2%)
- Doctorate or Professional Degree (<1%)
Most Popular Majors that prepare Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers
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#1
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Degrees Granted
38
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Female Students
14
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Male Students
24
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Median Starting Salary
$61,100
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#2
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Degrees Granted
15
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Female Students
3
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Male Students
12
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Median Starting Salary
$56,989
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#3
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Degrees Granted
7
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Female Students
2
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Male Students
5
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Median Starting Salary
$56,989
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#4
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Degrees Granted
3
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Female Students
2
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Male Students
1
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Median Starting Salary
$57,600
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#5
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Degrees Granted
1
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Female Students
0
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Male Students
1
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Median Starting Salary
$56,989
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People in this career often have these skills:
- Operations Monitoring - Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
- Operation and Control - Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
- Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
People in this career often know a lot about:
- Production and Processing - Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
- Public Safety and Security - Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
- Mechanical - Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
- Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
People in this career often have talent in:
- Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
- Flexibility of Closure - The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
- Perceptual Speed - The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object.
- Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
- Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
- Selective Attention - The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
- Hearing Sensitivity - The ability to detect or tell the differences between sounds that vary in pitch and loudness.
- Auditory Attention - The ability to focus on a single source of sound in the presence of other distracting sounds.
People in this career often do these activities:
- Signal others to coordinate work activities.
- Maintain production or processing equipment.
- Repair production equipment or tools.
- Notify others of equipment repair or maintenance needs.
- Monitor equipment operation to ensure proper functioning.
- Adjust equipment controls to regulate flow of water, cleaning solutions, or other liquids.
- Operate energy distribution equipment.
- Watch operating equipment to detect malfunctions.
- Monitor equipment fluid levels.
- Plan production or operational procedures or sequences.
- Operate pumping systems or equipment.
- Collect samples of materials or products for testing.
- Study blueprints or other instructions to determine equipment setup requirements.
- Direct operational or production activities.
- Record operational or production data.
- Test chemical or physical characteristics of materials or products.
- Clean work areas.
- Inspect production equipment.
- Lubricate production equipment.
- Analyze test results.
- Clean production equipment.
- Seal gaps or cracks to prevent leakage or moisture intrusion.
- Calculate costs of goods or services.
- Calculate weights, volumes or other characteristics of materials.
This page includes data from:
Career data: O*NET 28.3 Database
by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (“USDOL/ETA”). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA
Occupation statistics: USDOL U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics
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