Job Placement

Salaries & Advancement:

Salaries can vary widely, depending on location. Process Operations Technology graduates earn starting salaries of approximately $35,000 per year. The average for these technicians in Texas is more than $35,000. With experience, graduates can earn higher salaries and advance to technician supervisors, which can pay more than $60,000 a year.

Technicians in Demand:

Process technicians will be in demand more than ever in the coming years. A shortage of process technicians currently exists within the chemical, oil and gas exploration and production and power generation industries and future projections do not offer relief. Compounding the problem is the abnormally high number of retirements projected over the next ten years. However, since the process technician position has become much more complex in recent years, requiring more knowledge and skills in computing, teamwork, problem-solving, regulatory compliance and troubleshooting, fewer qualified workers are available for hire. Companies are hungry for qualified workers who possess the skills and knowledge needed to perform successfully in this fast-paced job.

The Technical Advantage:

Process Operations Technicians have the ability to work effectively in a team-based environment. Productivity of these industries is accomplished by teams of people from many different backgrounds and with many different levels of education. Strong oral and written communication skills are important so that the process technician can operate within the organizational structure of the company as well as describe activities for relief personnel, maintain data logs, prepare reports and other needed materials.