Occupation

Potters, Manufacturing

Human Advantage 63%

Significant human skills needed

AI Automation Risk Moderate Risk
3.5 / 10

Some tasks in this role may be augmented by AI, but human oversight and interpersonal skills remain important.

Operate production machines such as pug mill, jigger machine, or potter's wheel to process clay in manufacture of ceramic, pottery and stoneware products.

Also Known As: Clay Mixer, Glazer, Jigger Artisan, Jigger Machine Operator, Jiggerman, Kiln Worker, Manufacturing Potter, Pot Maker +7 more

Video

Core Tasks

  1. Operate gas or electric kilns to fire pottery pieces.
  2. Mix and apply glazes to pottery pieces, using tools, such as spray guns.
  3. Raise and shape clay into wares, such as vases and pitchers, on revolving wheels, using hands, fingers, and thumbs.
  4. Adjust wheel speeds according to the feel of the clay as pieces enlarge and walls become thinner.
  5. Position balls of clay in centers of potters' wheels, and start motors or pump treadles with feet to revolve wheels.
  6. Move pieces from wheels so that they can dry.
  7. Prepare work for sale or exhibition, and maintain relationships with retail, pottery, art, and resource networks that can facilitate sale or exhibition of work.
  8. Attach handles to pottery pieces.
  9. 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.
  10. Pack and ship pottery to stores or galleries for retail sale.
  11. Smooth surfaces of finished pieces, using rubber scrapers and wet sponges.
  12. Pull wires through bases of articles and wheels to separate finished pieces.
  13. Design spaces to display pottery for sale.
  14. Verify accuracy of shapes and sizes of objects, using calipers and templates.
  15. Examine finished ware for defects and measure dimensions, using rule and thickness gauge.
  16. Maintain supplies of tools, equipment, and materials, and order additional supplies as needed.
  17. Operate pug mills to blend and extrude clay.
  18. Perform test-fires of pottery to determine how to achieve specific colors and textures.

Supplemental Tasks (5)

  1. Start machine units and conveyors and observe lights and gauges on panel board to verify operational efficiency.
  2. Operate drying chambers to dry or finish molded ceramic ware.
  3. Adjust pressures, temperatures, and trimming tool settings as required.
  4. Design clay forms and molds, and decorations for forms.
  5. Teach pottery classes.

Emerging Tasks

New and evolving responsibilities for this role:

  • Apply glazes to pottery pieces, using tools such as spray guns.
  • Decorate pottery using tools such as brushes.
  • Load and unload pottery from kilns.
  • Mix chemicals according to recipes to create glazes.

Education & Training

Job Zone 3 Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
Education: Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Experience: 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.
On-the-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.

Education Level Distribution

Percentage of workers in this occupation with each education level.

Some College Courses
31%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
30%
Bachelor's Degree
18%
Less than a High School Diploma
16%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.
5%
Find Training Programs

Technology & Tools

Hot Technologies

  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft Outlook

Software (3)

  • Inventory control software

Tools & Equipment (52)

  • Air cleaners
  • Air compressors
  • Ball mills
  • Banding wheels
  • Carving spatulas
  • 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
  • Layout templates
  • Mold trimming knives
  • Oxyprobes
  • Personal computers
  • Portable pottery wheels
  • Pottery molds
  • Pottery wheels
  • Precision rulers
  • Pug mills
  • Pyrometers
  • Raku tongs
  • Safety glasses
  • Scoring tools
  • Slab rollers
  • Slip trail applicators
  • Spray booths
  • Spring scales
  • Texturing brushes
  • Thickness gauges
  • Tile cutters
  • Triple beam balances

Where This Career Leads

Career progression organized by specialty track and experience level.

Production & Automation Advanced Manufacturing

Zone 1
Cutters and Trimmers, Hand 78% match
Zone 2
Glass Blowers, Molders, Benders, and Finishers 95% match
Zone 3
Potters, Manufacturing You are here
Zone 4
Biomass Power Plant Managers 75% match
Zone 5
Microsystems Engineers 72% match

Resume Builder

Select key tasks to generate action-oriented resume bullets for Potters, Manufacturing positions.

Related Occupations

Compare skills gap with any of these related roles.

Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and PlasticClosely Related Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal WorkersClosely Related Craft ArtistsClosely Related Painting, Coating, and Decorating WorkersClosely Related Stone Cutters and Carvers, ManufacturingClosely Related Etchers and Engravers Foundry Mold and Coremakers Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand
Show all 20 related occupations
Glass Blowers, Molders, Benders, and Finishers Sewers, Hand Refractory Materials Repairers, Except Brickmasons Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic Furniture Finishers Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders Patternmakers, Wood Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Real Talk

Hear from real Potters, Manufacturings about their work:

Reddit Day-in-the-life discussions Reddit Salary discussions YouTube Video day-in-the-life Glassdoor Reviews & salaries