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.

On the job, you would:

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.

Personality

A3	Your Strengths	Importance	Characteristics of this Career
		91%	Attention to Detail - Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
		86%	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.
		83%	Initiative - Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
		81%	Persistence - Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.
		81%	Integrity - Job requires being honest and ethical.
		80%	Achievement/Effort - Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.
		78%	Innovation - Job requires creativity and alternative thinking to develop new ideas for and answers to work-related problems.
		77%	Dependability - Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
		72%	Analytical Thinking - Job requires analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems.
		71%	Adaptability/Flexibility - Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
		63%	Cooperation - Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
		61%	Self-Control - Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
		60%	Concern for Others - Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.
		59%	Stress Tolerance - Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high-stress situations.
		53%	Leadership - Job requires a willingness to lead, take charge, and offer opinions and direction.

A3	Your Strengths	Importance	Strengths
		95%	Realistic - Work involves designing, building, or repairing of equipment, materials, or structures, engaging in physical activity, or working outdoors. Realistic occupations are often associated with engineering, mechanics and electronics, construction, woodworking, transportation, machine operation, agriculture, animal services, physical or manual labor, athletics, or protective services.

A3	Your Strengths	Importance	Values of the Work Environment
		56%	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.

Aptitude

A3	Your Strengths	Importance	Abilities \| Cognitive, Physical, Personality
		75%	Arm-Hand Steadiness - The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
		72%	Finger Dexterity - The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
		72%	Manual Dexterity - The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
		66%	Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
		66%	Visualization - The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
		66%	Control Precision - The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
		63%	Multilimb Coordination - The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.
		53%	Category Flexibility - The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
		53%	Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
		53%	Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
		53%	Originality - The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
		53%	Selective Attention - The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.

Job Details

Responsibilities

Shape clay or dough to create products.

Adjust equipment to ensure optimal performance.

Position raw materials on processing or production equipment.

Shape clay or dough to create products.

Construct distinctive physical objects for artistic, functional, or commercial purposes.

Develop professional relationships or networks.

Smooth surfaces of objects or equipment.

Design jewelry or decorative objects.

Remove products or workpieces from production equipment.

Maneuver workpieces in equipment during production.

Measure dimensions of completed products or workpieces to verify conformance to specifications.

Conduct test runs of production equipment.

Maintain inventories of materials, equipment, or products.

Order materials, supplies, or equipment.

Measure dimensions of completed products or workpieces to verify conformance to specifications.

Operate heating or drying equipment.

Monitor equipment operation to ensure proper functioning.

Set equipment controls to meet cutting specifications.

Operate mixing equipment.

Teach classes in area of specialization.

Operate heating or drying equipment.

Mix ingredients to create specific finishes.

Apply protective or decorative finishes to workpieces or products.

Construct distinctive physical objects for artistic, functional, or commercial purposes.

Package objects for shipping.

Send information, materials or documentation.

Develop artistic or design concepts for decoration, exhibition, or commercial purposes.

A3	Your Strengths	Importance	Attributes & Percentage of Time Spent
		89%	Freedom to Make Decisions - How much decision making freedom, without supervision, does the job offer?
		87%	Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls - How much does this job require using your hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools or controls?
		85%	Structured versus Unstructured Work - To what extent is this job structured for the worker, rather than allowing the worker to determine tasks, priorities, and goals?
		83%	Deal With External Customers - How important is it to work with external customers or the public in this job?
		82%	Face-to-Face Discussions - How often do you have to have face-to-face discussions with individuals or teams in this job?
		79%	Exposed to Contaminants - How often does this job require working exposed to contaminants (such as pollutants, gases, dust or odors)?
		79%	Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results - What results do your decisions usually have on other people or the image or reputation or financial resources of your employer?
		75%	Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions - How much does this job require making repetitive motions?
		74%	Frequency of Decision Making - How frequently is the worker required to make decisions that affect other people, the financial resources, and/or the image and reputation of the organization?
		72%	Importance of Repeating Same Tasks - How important is repeating the same physical activities (e.g., key entry) or mental activities (e.g., checking entries in a ledger) over and over, without stopping, to performing this job?
		71%	Importance of Being Exact or Accurate - How important is being very exact or highly accurate in performing this job?
		70%	Electronic Mail - How often do you use electronic mail in this job?
		69%	Indoors, Environmentally Controlled - How often does this job require working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions?
		67%	Contact With Others - How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it?
		65%	Telephone - How often do you have telephone conversations in this job?
		56%	Work With Work Group or Team - How important is it to work with others in a group or team in this job?
		55%	Responsibility for Outcomes and Results - How responsible is the worker for work outcomes and results of other workers?
		54%	Spend Time Sitting - How much does this job require sitting?
		52%	Responsible for Others' Health and Safety - How much responsibility is there for the health and safety of others in this job?

A3	Your Strengths	Importance	Tasks & Values
		84%	Handling and Moving Objects - Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
		78%	Thinking Creatively - Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
		76%	Controlling Machines and Processes - Using either control mechanisms or direct physical activity to operate machines or processes (not including computers or vehicles).
		73%	Performing General Physical Activities - Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling materials.
		68%	Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials - Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
		65%	Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work - Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
		60%	Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings - Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
		59%	Making Decisions and Solving Problems - Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
		59%	Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment - Servicing, repairing, adjusting, and testing machines, devices, moving parts, and equipment that operate primarily on the basis of mechanical (not electronic) principles.
		56%	Scheduling Work and Activities - Scheduling events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.
		55%	Selling or Influencing Others - Convincing others to buy merchandise/goods or to otherwise change their minds or actions.
		54%	Getting Information - Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
		53%	Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information - Estimating sizes, distances, and quantities; or determining time, costs, resources, or materials needed to perform a work activity.
		52%	Monitoring and Controlling Resources - Monitoring and controlling resources and overseeing the spending of money.
		51%	Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships - Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.

Getting Started

Education:

31%

Some College Courses

30%

High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)

Potters, Manufacturing

What they do:

On the job, you would:

Personality

Characteristics of this Career

Strengths

Values of the Work Environment

Aptitude

Abilities | Cognitive, Physical, Personality

Job Details

Attributes & Percentage of Time Spent

Tasks & Values

Getting Started