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Alamo Colleges DistrictCareer Explorer

Power Distributors and Dispatchers

Part of Manufacturing, in the Production pathway.

Job zone 3: medium preparationO*NET 51-8012.00

What the work is

Coordinate, regulate, or distribute electricity or steam.

On a typical day

  • 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.
  • Coordinate with engineers, planners, field personnel, or other utility workers to provide information such as clearances, switching orders, or distribution process changes.
  • Direct personnel engaged in controlling or operating distribution equipment or machinery, such as instructing control room operators to start boilers or generators.
  • Distribute or regulate the flow of power between entities, such as generating stations, substations, distribution lines, or users, keeping track of the status of circuits or connections.

What it pays

$100,320
Median pay per year, San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX metro
New workers start near $59,820
Experienced workers reach $101,010
  1. $60k10th
  2. $88k25th
  3. $100kMedian
  4. $100k75th
  5. $101k90th
Wage percentiles: 10th $59,820, 25th $87,730, Median $100,320, 75th $100,320, 90th $101,010

About 60 people do this job in the San Antonio area.

Job outlook

Alamo region (Bexar and 12 surrounding counties), Texas Workforce Commission projection 2024 to 2034. U.S. figures from the BLS for comparison.

-5.1%

employment change in the Alamo region, 59 to 56 jobs · U.S. -3%

5

openings a year in the Alamo region, from growth and people leaving · U.S. 800

59

employed in the Alamo region in 2024 · U.S. 9,300

Typical entry education: High school diploma or equivalent · Training: Long-term on-the-job training

Skills this career uses

The skills O*NET rates most important for the job, with how much of each the work needs on a 1 to 7 scale.

  1. Critical Thinking3.8
  2. Reading Comprehension3.6
  3. Active Listening3.6
  4. Monitoring3.5
  5. Speaking3.4
  6. Operations Monitoring3.4
  7. Complex Problem Solving3.3
  8. Judgment and Decision Making3.3

Education people in this job have

Share of workers by highest education, from O*NET surveys. It shows what others did, not what you must do.

  1. High school or less22%
  2. Certificate40%
  3. Some college8%
  4. Associate degree24%
  5. Bachelor's degree6%

Job zone 3, medium preparation: Training, an associate degree, or a few years of related experience.

Alamo programs that lead here

No Alamo program is mapped to this career yet. Many careers start from a transfer pre-major or a related program.

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  1. $111kSan Antonio median
  2. $60kSan Antonio median
  3. $87kTexas median