Many water treatment operators who view and study this site are new to the water treatment profession. I strongly encourage these operators to consider the advantages of remaining in the water treatment profession and making the water treatment profession a career that will last until retirement.
The most essential commodity on earth is water. Water is needed for drinking, cooking, bathing, washing dishes, washing clothing, flushing toilets, preparing infant formula, and a host of other purposes that are vital to human existence. A clean, fresh supply of public drinking water is essential to the survival and growth of every modern community throughout the world.
Employment in the drinking water profession offers a level of job security that is nearly unequalled in any other profession. Food is also an essential commodity, but food brands come and go, and food manufacturing plants routinely close down. Public water systems, on the other hand, are legal monopolies in the areas they serve. This means no other water production utility can come in and sell water to your customers, unless given permission to do so by the owner of your system.
Electrical utilities are also monopolies in many of the areas they serve. Most electrical utility employees don't need the levels of licensing and certification that drinking water operators need. This makes electrical utility employees easier to replace than water treatment operators.
The medical profession offers nearly equal job security to the water treatment profession. Of course, working as a licensed professional in the medical profession often entails being around sick and dying people. This is the type of profession many of us respect, but we do not wish to enter it.
Water treatment plants and water utilities almost never go out of business. This is true during even the worst of economic times. Municipalities and water utilities may institute hiring freezes, and workloads may increase on water treatment operators, but water treatment plants and water utilities don't generally go out of business.
I strongly encourage all new water treatment operators to consider the job security that the profession offers. Excellent job security, along with fairly respectable retirement packages, make the water treatment profession a good career choice for anyone seeking stable, long-term employment.