Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators
Skills & Knowledge
Most Important Skills for Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators
- Monitoring Equipment—Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
- Repairing—Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.
- Troubleshooting—Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
- Operating Equipment—Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
- Controlling Quality—Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
- Monitoring Performance—Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Thinking Critically—Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
- Evaluating a System or Organization—Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
- 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.
- Maintaining Equipment—Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
Most Important Knowledge Areas for Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators
- Mechanical—Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
- Education and Training—Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
- Production and Processing—Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
- Engineering and Technology—Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
- Mathematics—Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
- 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.
- English Language—Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
- 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 m
- Public Safety and Security—Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
- Physics—Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub- atomic structures and processes.
Interests
Different careers may be a good fit for your personality or interests. This career is:
- 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.
- Investigative—Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.
Learn more about your interests. Take the MnCareers Interest Assessment.
Describe Your Skills
People who have worked in this career typically perform the following tasks.
These statements can help a prospective employer understand what you can do, on a resume or during an interview.
- Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to find or fix problems.
- Monitoring information from a variety of sources to find problems.
- Making decisions or solving problems.
- Documenting or recording information.
- Identifying information by categorizing, comparing, or detecting changes in circumstances or events.
- Communicating with supervisors, co-workers, or people that work under you.
- Repairing and maintaining mechanical equipment.
- Controlling machines and processes.
Careers that Use Similar Skills
The following careers use skills, knowledge, and abilities that are similar to those used for Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators.
View more careers in the Architecture and Construction cluster
View more careers in the Maintenance and Operations pathway

This page includes information from the O*NET 24.2 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.
Source: You can learn about our data sources in the About Us section.