Occupation Details
Potters, Manufacturing
Operate production machines such as pug mill, jigger machine, or potter's wheel to process clay in manufacture of ceramic, pottery and stoneware products.
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Interests
Realistic
Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
Artistic
Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.
Work Values
Achievement
Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.
Working Conditions
Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions. Corresponding needs are Activity, Compensation, Independence, Security, Variety and Working Conditions.
Relationships
Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service.
Salary & Job Outlook
Starting Salary
$33,880.00
New York StateMedian Salary
$40,040.00
New York StateExperienced Salary
$50,510.00
New York StateNational Average for Comparison
New York State Job Market Outlook
Jobs Right Now (2018)
1,070
professionals in NYFuture Job Growth (2030)
1,350
+28 jobs/yearNew Jobs Every Year
150
new opportunities yearlyGrowth Rate
0.3%
projected increasePreparation: Experience, Training, and Education
The list below outlines the prior educational experience required to perform in this occupation.
College Helps - Some college classes or training
Experience Requirements
Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
Education Requirements
Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Training Details
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.
Transferrable Skills and Experience
These occupations usually involve using communication and organizational skills to coordinate, supervise, manage, or train others to accomplish goals. Examples include hydroelectric production managers, desktop publishers, electricians, agricultural technicians, barbers, court reporters and simultaneous captioners, and medical assistants.
School Programs
School Programs information is not available for this occupation.
Licensing & Certification
State License and Certifications Requirements are not currently associated with this occupation.
Apprenticeship
Contact your regional representative to learn more about apprenticeships available in your area by visiting Apprenticeship Contacts.
Skills
The list below includes the skills required by workers in this occupation; skills are what allow you to learn more quickly and improve your performance.
Operations Monitoring
Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
Operation and Control
Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
Active Listening
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Critical Thinking
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Monitoring
Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Speaking
Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Social Perceptiveness
Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Reading Comprehension
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Skill level is measured on a seven point scale, where one means 'some competence required for this occupation' and seven means 'a high level of expertise required for this occupation'.
Knowledge
The list below includes knowledge items, the principles and facts required by this occupation.
Fine Arts
Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
Production and Processing
Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
Design
Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
Customer and Personal Service
Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Chemistry
Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
Administration and Management
Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Knowledge level is measured on a seven point scale, where one means 'some competence required for this occupation' and seven means 'a high level of expertise required for this occupation'.
Work Environment
The list below includes the physical and social factors that influence the nature of work in this occupation.
Hover over or tap each factor to see its description.
Work Styles
Included in the list below are the personal work style characteristics that can affect how well a worker is likely to perform in this occupation.
Achievement/Effort
Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.
Adaptability/Flexibility
Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
Analytical Thinking
Job requires analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems.
Attention to Detail
Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
Dependability
Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
Independence
Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.
Initiative
Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
Innovation
Job requires creativity and alternative thinking to develop new ideas for and answers to work-related problems.
Integrity
Job requires being honest and ethical.
Persistence
Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.
Tools & Technology
This list below describes the machines, equipment, tools, software, and information technology that workers in this occupation will use.
Tools
- Air cleaners
- Air compressors
- Ball mills
- Banding wheels
- Carving tools
- Ceramics kilns
- Clay cutters
- Clay extruders
- Clay mixers
- Clay presses
- Cleanup tools
- Conveyor feeding systems
- Dial calipers
- Digital scales
- Dipping tongs
- Drying ovens
- Dust masks
- Electric kilns
- Fettling knives
- Gas kilns
- Grinding wheels
- Hake brushes
- Handheld sprayers
- Hole cutters
- Insulated gloves
- Kick wheels
- Kiln glasses
- Kiln gloves
- Lace tools
- Laptop computers
Technology
- Inventory control software
- Microsoft Excel
Duties
Duties are job behaviors describing activities that occur on multiple jobs. The generalized and detailed work activities described in the list below apply to this occupation.
- read technical drawings
- make independent judgment in assembly procedures
- monitor production machinery/equipment operation to detect problems
- examine products or work to verify conformance to specifications
- use precision measuring tools or equipment
- use hand or power tools
- create art from ideas
- use creativity in industrial artistry
- fabricate craft or art objects
- fabricate, assemble, or disassemble manufactured products by hand
Tasks
The list below outlines specific tasks that a worker in this occupation is called upon to do regularly.
- Operate gas or electric kilns to fire pottery pieces.
- Start machine units and conveyors and observe lights and gauges on panel board to verify operational efficiency.
- Raise and shape clay into wares, such as vases and pitchers, on revolving wheels, using hands, fingers, and thumbs.
- Mix and apply glazes to pottery pieces, using tools, such as spray guns.
- Adjust wheel speeds according to the feel of the clay as pieces enlarge and walls become thinner.
- Position balls of clay in centers of potters' wheels, and start motors or pump treadles with feet to revolve wheels.
- Move pieces from wheels so that they can dry.
- Prepare work for sale or exhibition, and maintain relationships with retail, pottery, art, and resource networks that can facilitate sale or exhibition of work.
- Attach handles to pottery pieces.
- Press thumbs into centers of revolving clay to form hollows, and press on the inside and outside of emerging clay cylinders with hands and fingers, gradually raising and shaping clay to desired forms and sizes.
- Pack and ship pottery to stores or galleries for retail sale.
- Smooth surfaces of finished pieces, using rubber scrapers and wet sponges.
- Pull wires through bases of articles and wheels to separate finished pieces.
- Design spaces to display pottery for sale.
- Verify accuracy of shapes and sizes of objects, using calipers and templates.
- Examine finished ware for defects and measure dimensions, using rule and thickness gauge.
- Maintain supplies of tools, equipment, and materials, and order additional supplies as needed.
- Operate pug mills to blend and extrude clay.
- Operate drying chambers to dry or finish molded ceramic ware.
- Perform test-fires of pottery to determine how to achieve specific colors and textures.
- Adjust pressures, temperatures, and trimming tool settings as required.
- Design clay forms and molds, and decorations for forms.
- Operate jigger machines to form ceramic ware, such as bowls, cups, plates, and saucers.
- Teach pottery classes.