How to become a Manufacturing Potter

Official title: Potters, Manufacturing

Also called: Clay Mixer, Glazer, Jigger Artisan, Jigger Machine Operator, Jiggerman, Kiln Worker, Potter, Pottery Manufacturer, Production Potter, Pugmill Operator

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

Main tasks

• Operate gas or electric kilns to fire pottery pieces.
• Mix and apply glazes to pottery pieces, using tools, such as spray guns.
• Raise and shape clay into wares, such as vases and pitchers, on revolving wheels, using hands, fingers, and thumbs.
• 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.

How to become one

Typical education to start: High school diploma or equivalent

Ways in

• Apprenticeship: Model Maker (Pottery & Porc).
• Apprenticeship: Pottery Machine Operator.

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

• Median pay: $46,170 a year The middle half earn $39,280 to $53,000.
• About 43,000 people work in this job now, and about 45,500 are projected by 2035. (+5.8%)
• People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.

Related jobs

• Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders
• Cleaning, Washing, and Metal Pickling Equipment Operators and Tenders
• Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders
• Etchers and Engravers
• Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic
• Stone Cutters and Carvers, Manufacturing

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Questions people ask

How do I become a Manufacturing Potter?

Ways in include: Model Maker (Pottery & Porc).

How much does a Manufacturing Potter earn in the US?

Median full-time pay is $46,170 a year (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). The middle half earn $39,280 to $53,000.

Is a Manufacturing Potter a growing career in the US?

Yes. Employment is projected to grow 6% by 2035, from about 43,000 to about 45,500 people (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Do you need a degree to become a Manufacturing Potter?

Usually not. Only 19% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Ways in include: Model Maker (Pottery & Porc).

Will AI change the work of a Manufacturing Potter?

People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.

Sources

• Microsoft Research: Working with AI: AI applicability by occupation (2025-12-22 (built on O*NET 29.0)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Employment Projections (2025-35 (released 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03

Updated 2026-10-03

This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 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.