Career Tree | NC Careers.org

Career Plan Builder Landing Image NCcareers.org now offers you a personal career GPS! Map your path to success with our Career Plan Builder. This personalized platform assesses your unique skills and aspirations, providing a step-by-step roadmap to your dream career. Update your goals, track your progress, and access targeted resources - all in one place.

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Is it too early to think about careers?

Middle and High School is the perfect time to start thinking about careers. Learn about the advantages of thinking about careers at a young age.

Why should I see my Career Development Coordinator (CDC)?

Career development and Career and Technical Education (CTE) courses help you plan and gain skills for success in your future career. Learn about CTE, Internships, and more from your CDC.

Why should I see my school counselor?

Learn about the services and assistance your school counselor provides and how they can help you with your career planning.

What is Career and Technical Education (CTE)?

Gain skills and career experience through CTE. Learn about courses, clusters, work-based learning, student organizations (CTSOs), NTHS, industry credentials, free college courses and more.

Why should I see my NC Career Coach?

Learn about how these NC Community College staff members can help.

Can I talk to a career counselor if I’m not in school?

NCWorks has programs that can help with career planning and more…

Next Step

Start building your future career today.

By Education

Use your education as a starting point in your journey. Choose a type of education and search for a program to see which occupations best match your education. Click the add education button if you want to include additional education types.

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By Current Occupation

Use your current job or any occupation you desire as the starting point in your career journey. Type in an occupation name to learn what is next in line on your career journey.

By Goal Career

This tool can help you understand a potential pathway to a goal career. First start with your goal career. Next, add a starting education or occupation. Now start building. You'll then be presented below with jobs that have similar job skills or job duties to your dream job but typically pay less.

First Step

Your Journey Overview
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All Other Plant and System Operators

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Drop here

All Other Plant and System Operators

Star Rating:

Education: High school diploma or equivalent

High school diploma or equivalent

Median Annual Wage

$66,350

($31.90/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

Average Growth

0.8%

Avg. Annual Openings

Rare Opportunity

Choose your next step from the list below.

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Star
Rating

Education
Requirement

Median
Annual Wage

Annual
Growth Rate

Avg. Annual
Openings

Industrial Machinery Mechanics

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: High school diploma or equivalent

☆☆☆☆☆

High school diploma or equivalent

Median Annual Wage

$56,260

($27.05/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

Very Strong Growth

2.3%

Avg. Annual Openings

Very Strong Opportunity

1,810

Food Batchmakers

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: High school diploma or equivalent

☆☆☆☆☆

High school diploma or equivalent

Median Annual Wage

$32,620

($15.68/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

Very Strong Growth

1.5%

Avg. Annual Openings

Very Strong Opportunity

767

Food Scientists and Technologists

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: Bachelor's degree

☆☆☆☆☆

Bachelor's degree

Median Annual Wage

$49,290

($23.70/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

Strong Growth

1.1%

Avg. Annual Openings

Few Opportunities

Farm Equipment Mechanics and Service Technicians

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: High school diploma or equivalent

☆☆☆☆☆

High school diploma or equivalent

Median Annual Wage

$45,900

($22.07/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

Strong Growth

1.0%

Avg. Annual Openings

Average Opportunity

138

All Other Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers

Star Rating:

Education: High school diploma or equivalent

High school diploma or equivalent

Median Annual Wage

$42,020

($20.20/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

Strong Growth

1.0%

Avg. Annual Openings

Strong Opportunity

591

Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: High school diploma or equivalent

☆☆☆☆☆

High school diploma or equivalent

Median Annual Wage

$52,730

($25.35/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

Average Growth

0.9%

Avg. Annual Openings

Few Opportunities

Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: High school diploma or equivalent

☆☆☆☆☆

High school diploma or equivalent

Median Annual Wage

$41,700

($20.05/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

Average Growth

0.9%

Avg. Annual Openings

Strong Opportunity

255

Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: High school diploma or equivalent

☆☆☆☆☆

High school diploma or equivalent

Median Annual Wage

$40,490

($19.47/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

Average Growth

0.7%

Avg. Annual Openings

Strong Opportunity

621

Agricultural Technicians

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: Associate's degree

☆☆☆☆☆

Associate's degree

Median Annual Wage

$37,110

($17.84/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

Average Growth

0.7%

Avg. Annual Openings

Average Opportunity

Chemical Technicians

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: Associate's degree

☆☆☆☆☆

Associate's degree

Median Annual Wage

$49,670

($23.88/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

Slow Growth

0.6%

Avg. Annual Openings

Strong Opportunity

332

Semiconductor Processing Technicians

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: High school diploma or equivalent

☆☆☆☆☆

High school diploma or equivalent

Median Annual Wage

$46,380

($22.30/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

Slow Growth

0.5%

Avg. Annual Openings

Few Opportunities

Food Science Technicians

Star Rating:

Education: Associate's degree

Associate's degree

Median Annual Wage

$44,320

($21.31/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

Slow Growth

0.1%

Avg. Annual Openings

Few Opportunities

Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: High school diploma or equivalent

☆☆☆☆☆

High school diploma or equivalent

Median Annual Wage

$45,930

($22.08/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

None or Negative Growth

-0.2%

Avg. Annual Openings

Strong Opportunity

322

Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: High school diploma or equivalent

☆☆☆☆☆

High school diploma or equivalent

Median Annual Wage

$48,950

($23.53/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

None or Negative Growth

-0.2%

Avg. Annual Openings

Strong Opportunity

550

Synthetic and Glass Fibers Extruding and Forming Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: High school diploma or equivalent

☆☆☆☆☆

High school diploma or equivalent

Median Annual Wage

$43,720

($21.02/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

None or Negative Growth

-0.2%

Avg. Annual Openings

Strong Opportunity

273

Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: No formal educational credential

☆☆☆☆☆

No formal educational credential

Median Annual Wage

$48,500

($23.32/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

None or Negative Growth

-1.1%

Avg. Annual Openings

Average Opportunity

114

Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers

Star Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆

Education: High school diploma or equivalent

☆☆☆☆☆

High school diploma or equivalent

Median Annual Wage

$48,180

($23.16/hr)

Annual Growth Rate

None or Negative Growth

-1.6%

Avg. Annual Openings

Few Opportunities

Median Annual Wage
Education
Experience Needed
Description

All Other Plant and System Operators

$66,350($31.90/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

Plant and System Operators control, operate, repair, and maintain entire processes or system of machines. This category includes all plant and system operators not contained somewhere else.

Industrial Machinery Mechanics

$56,260 ($27.05/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

None

Industrial machinery mechanics and machinery maintenance workers maintain and repair factory equipment and other industrial machinery, such as conveying systems, production machinery, and packaging equipment. Millwrights install, dismantle, repair, reassemble, and move machinery in factories, power plants, and construction sites.

Food Batchmakers

$32,620 ($15.68/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

None

Food Batchmakers set up and operate equipment that mixes or blends ingredients used in the manufacturing of food products.

Food Scientists and Technologists

$49,290 ($23.70/hr)

Bachelor's degree

None

Food Scientists and Technologists use chemistry, microbiology, engineering, and other sciences to study the principles related to processing and deterioration of foods.

Farm Equipment Mechanics and Service Technicians

$45,900 ($22.07/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

None

Heavy vehicle and mobile equipment service technicians, also called mechanics, inspect, maintain, and repair vehicles and machinery used in construction, farming, rail transportation, and other industries.

All Other Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers

$42,020 ($20.20/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

None

Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers install, fix and maintain machines, mechanical equipment, and buildings. This category includes all installation, maintenance, and repair workers not contained somewhere else.

Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators

$52,730 ($25.35/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

None

Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators control stationary engines, boilers, or other mechanical equipment to provide utilities for buildings or for industrial purposes.

Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

$41,700 ($20.05/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

None

Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders set up, operate, and tend continuous flow or vat-type equipment, filter presses, shaker screens, centrifuges, condenser tubes, precipitating, fermenting, or evaporating tanks, scrubbing towers, or batch stills. These machines extract, sort, or separate liquids, gases, or solids from other materials to recover a refined product. This category includes dairy processing equipment operators.

Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

$40,490 ($19.47/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

None

Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders set up, operate, or tend machines to mix or blend materials, such as chemicals, tobacco, liquids, color pigments, or explosive ingredients.

Agricultural Technicians

$37,110 ($17.84/hr)

Associate's degree

None

Agricultural Technicians assist agricultural and food scientists by performing duties such as measuring and analyzing the quality of food and agricultural products. Duties range from performing agricultural labor with added recordkeeping duties to laboratory testing with significant amounts of office work, depending on the particular field the technician works in.

Chemical Technicians

$49,670 ($23.88/hr)

Associate's degree

None

Chemical Technicians use laboratory instruments and techniques to help scientists analyze the properties of materials.

Semiconductor Processing Technicians

$46,380 ($22.30/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

None

Semiconductor Processing Technicians perform any or all of the following functions in the manufacture of electronic semiconductors: load semiconductor material into furnace; saw formed ingots into segments; load individual segment into crystal growing chamber and monitor controls; locate crystal axis in ingot using x-ray equipment and saw ingots into wafers; and clean, polish, and load wafers into series of special purpose furnaces, chemical baths, and equipment used to form circuitry and change conductive properties.

Food Science Technicians

$44,320 ($21.31/hr)

Associate's degree

None

Food Science Technicians assist agricultural and food scientists by performing duties such as measuring and analyzing the quality of food and agricultural products. Duties range from performing agricultural labor with added recordkeeping duties to laboratory testing with significant amounts of office work, depending on the particular field the technician works in.

Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators

$45,930 ($22.08/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

None

Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators manage a system of machines, often through the use of control boards, to transfer or treat water or wastewater.

Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders

$48,950 ($23.53/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

None

Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders operate or tend equipment to control chemical changes or reactions in the processing of industrial or consumer products. The equipment that they use can include devulcanizers, steam-jacketed kettles, and reactor vessels.

Synthetic and Glass Fibers Extruding and Forming Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

$43,720 ($21.02/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

None

Synthetic and Glass Fiber Extruding and Forming Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders set up, operate, or tend machines that extrude and form continuous filaments from synthetic materials, such as liquid polymer, rayon, and fiberglass.

Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders

$48,500 ($23.32/hr)

No formal educational credential

None

Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders operate or tend food or tobacco roasting, baking, or drying equipment, including hearth ovens, kiln driers, roasters, char kilns, and vacuum drying equipment.

Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers

$48,180 ($23.16/hr)

High school diploma or equivalent

None

Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems assemblers fit, fasten, and install parts of airplanes, space vehicles, or missiles.

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