Power Distributors and Dispatchers
What Power Distributors and Dispatchers Do
Coordinate, regulate, or distribute electricity or steam.
See full salary breakdown & percentiles →
Career Outlook
National employment outlook, 2024–2034.
- Related work experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- Long-term on-the-job training
- Self-employed
- Not available
Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.
How Much Preparation Does This Take?
Job Zone 3 of 5Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
- Experience
- Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations.
- Education
- Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
- Job training
- Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
Source: O*NET Job Zones.
Key Knowledge Areas
Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.
- English Languageimportance 3.9/5
- Public Safety and Securityimportance 3.7/5
- Mathematicsimportance 3.5/5
- Computers and Electronicsimportance 3.5/5
- Telecommunicationsimportance 3.5/5
- Engineering and Technologyimportance 3.5/5
- Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 3.4/5
- Mechanicalimportance 3.3/5
Work Environment
What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.
- Telephone Conversations5.0/5
- Consequence of Error4.7/5
- Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results4.7/5
- Contact With Others4.6/5
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate4.6/5
- E-Mail4.5/5
Careers With Similar Skills
Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.
- Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health94% skill match
- Fish and Game Wardens94% skill match
- Food Batchmakers93% skill match
- Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters93% skill match
- Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers93% skill match
- Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers92% skill match
- Prepress Technicians and Workers92% skill match
- Commercial Pilots92% skill match
Transferable Skills
Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.
- Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.3/5
- Operations Monitoringimportance 3.3/5
- Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.3/5
- Operation and Controlimportance 3.1/5
- Coordinationimportance 3.0/5
- Time Managementimportance 3.0/5
- Systems Analysisimportance 2.9/5
- Social Perceptivenessimportance 2.8/5
Software & Technologies
Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.
Hot Technologies
Other Software Used
- ABB MicroSCADA Pro DMS
- ABB MicroSCADA Pro SYS
- ABB PSGuard
- Catapult Software iPower SCADA
- Distribution automation system software
- Distribution management system DMS
- Energy management system EMS
- Geographic information system GIS software
Work Style
Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.
- Cautiousness
- Dependability
- Stress Tolerance
- Attention to Detail
- Integrity
- Self-Control
- Adaptability
Career Interests
This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.
- RealisticHigh
- ConventionalHigh
- EnterprisingMedium
- InvestigativeLow
- SocialLow
- ArtisticLow
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Where This Career Is Most Concentrated
Metro areas where power distributors and dispatchers make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).
- 1Champaign-Urbana, IL9.57× national avg
- 2Worcester, MA7.59× national avg
- 3Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR7.11× national avg
- 4Columbia, SC3.75× national avg
- 5Birmingham, AL3.66× national avg
Possible Career Moves
A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.
- Commercial PilotsCareer Change
- Forest Fire Inspectors and Prevention SpecialistsCareer Change
- Air Traffic ControllersCareer Change
- Railroad Conductors and YardmastersCareer Change
See the full career path from Power Distributors and Dispatchers →