Career
Furnace, kiln, oven, drier, and kettle operators and tenders
Run furnaces, kilns and ovens.
$48,040
Median pay
+2.6%
Job growth, 2025–35
1,800
Openings a year
High school diploma or equivalent
Typical education
None required
Typical time after high school
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- Monitor equipment operation, gauges, and panel lights to detect deviations from standards.
- Confer with supervisors or other equipment operators to report equipment malfunctions or to resolve production problems.
- Press and adjust controls to activate, set, and regulate equipment according to specifications.
- Record gauge readings, test results, and shift production in log books.
- Read and interpret work orders and instructions to determine work assignments, process specifications, and production schedules.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on objects & tools, then information & systems?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Monitor equipment operation, gauges, and panel lights to detect deviations from standards.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Operations Monitoring, Active Listening, Reading Comprehension, Operation and Control.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
No degree beyond high school, though moderate-term on-the-job training is typical, for a median of $48,040 a year and 1,800 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- NO MATCHCIP 99.9999
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$51,610 · -5.7%
- Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$45,760 · +1.5%
- Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and Tenders$54,430 · -2.9%
- Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic$48,750 · -9.5%
- Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders$43,530 · +3.4%
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
Not sure this fits who you are? Start with Vocational Finder →
Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.