Power Distributors & Dispatchers

Distribution System Operator, Power System Operator, System Operator, Transmission System Operator

What they do:
Coordinate, regulate, or distribute electricity or steam.
On the job, you would:
  • Respond to emergencies, such as transformer or transmission line failures, and route current around affected areas.
  • Prepare switching orders that will isolate work areas without causing power outages, referring to drawings of power systems.
  • Control, monitor, or operate equipment that regulates or distributes electricity or steam, using data obtained from instruments or computers.

Knowledge

Safety and Government

  • public safety and security

Arts and Humanities

  • English language

Engineering and Technology

  • product and service development
  • computers and electronics

Communications

  • telecommunications

Skills

Basic Skills

  • keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements
  • listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions

Problem Solving

  • noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it

Abilities

Verbal

  • communicate by speaking
  • listen and understand what people say

Ideas and Logic

  • notice when problems happen
  • make general rules or come up with answers from lots of detailed information

Visual Understanding

  • quickly compare groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things
  • see hidden patterns

Personality

People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions.

They do well at jobs that need:

  • Dependability
  • Attention to Detail
  • Stress Tolerance
  • Self Control
  • Integrity
  • Persistence

Technology

You might use software like this on the job:

Spreadsheet software

  • Microsoft Excel Hot Technology In Demand

Presentation software

  • Microsoft PowerPoint Hot Technology

Industrial control software

  • Supervisory control and data acquisition SCADA software
  • Wide area monitoring system WAMS software

Education

Education: (rated 3 of 5)
high school diploma/GED or
certificate after high school
usually needed

Get started on your career:

Find Licenses
Apprenticeship.gov

Job Outlook

Below Average
New job opportunities are less likely in the future.
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