Yes, paper is a viable professional path. Despite the shift away from paper, it remains commonly used. This includes not only sheets of paper but also paper items like napkins and plates, as well as packaging like cardboard. There are also many types of specialty paper and stationery still in use.
Paper manufacturing is a multi-step process. The industry encompasses logging, production, processing, and sustainability activities.
All of these procedures necessitate highly educated and talented individuals, indicating that the industry is unlikely to become mechanized.
Paper has numerous applications and has the benefit of being biodegradable. Papermaking is a sophisticated and multi-step process that can be considered an art form in many aspects. And the paper industry encompasses more than just paper manufacturing.
10 Best Paying Jobs in Paper
Because papermaking is a complex chemical process, several positions in the paper sector require advanced education.
There are additional needs for industrial papermaking that relate to industry and manufacturing in general. This leads to various high-paying positions in the sector.
1. Packaging engineers
Average annual salary of $86,000.
Packaging engineers specialize in product packaging. Paper and cardboard are commonly utilized as packing materials; therefore, you will be working with them frequently. Packaging engineers mostly deal with concepts and test numerous packages to ensure that they are efficient, affordable and meet specifications.
2. Process engineers
Average annual salary of $81,000.
Process engineers assist in the selection of the most appropriate materials, chemical components and product design.
With a product like paper, they’re likely to change the recipe as needed to achieve the exact type of paper that best fits the purpose. They also help to test and upgrade systems to ensure that they are as good as possible.
3. Sawmill Manager
Average Annual Salary: $80,000
Sawmills process raw lumber. A sawmill manager oversees the entire mill. They manage the lumber intake, ensuring that it is correctly chopped, dried, stored, and exported. Because of the high level of responsibility, sawmill managers are well compensated and expected to have industry expertise.
4. Chemical Engineer
Average Annual Salary: $85,000.
Chemical engineers use chemical processes to create new goods and materials. They may be involved in food, drug, petroleum or chemical production. The majority of their work involves taking raw materials and converting them into different items.
5. Manufacturing Manager
Average Annual Salary: $104,000.
Manufacturing managers, like most other managers, are responsible for ensuring that work is completed efficiently and following the company’s objectives. It will take a lot of coordination because many personnel will be specialists in their vocations.
Manufacturing managers must also be knowledgeable of industry standards, regulations, and safety criteria to ensure that their facility fulfills all of them.
6. Forest engineers
Average annual salary of $84,000.
Forest engineers are mostly active in the logging sector. Their task is to determine the most effective and efficient approach to logging an area. This implies they must understand the plants, equipment and topography of the area. They must perform all of this while adhering to local laws, rules and safety standards.
They are also responsible for deciding where to place the equipment so that it is ergonomic, effective, and safe.
7. Industrial hygienists
Average annual salary of $60,000.
While the popular connotation of hygiene is cleanliness, its fundamental definition is overall health.
Industrial hygienists are concerned with every area of industrial health. This encompasses hygiene, comfort, and efforts to improve mental health. They are in charge of developing and implementing programs to achieve this goal, as well as educating the workforce.
8. Quality Assurance Engineers
Average annual salary of $86,000.
The primary responsibilities of this profession include ensuring that a product is feasible to manufacture and that quality requirements can be met or surpassed using existing materials and technology.
Quality assurance engineers contribute to overall production, although their primary concentration is on the product itself. It must meet both cost and quality standards, as well as the percentage of defective items.
9. Environmental engineers
Average annual salary of $69,000.
Environmental engineers are primarily responsible for dealing with environmental challenges. They emphasize pollution and the utilization of natural resources. Sustainability is the goal, so they try to come up with solutions that allow the land’s natural resources to be used without affecting the ecosystem.
This work demands a combination of biology, ecology, engineering and chemical skills.
10. Manufacturing engineers
Average annual salary of $76,000.
Manufacturing engineers concentrate solely on the manufacturing process. They come up with the most cost-effective strategy to produce the greatest goods. They must be aware of the latest laws and regulations and ensure that the manufacturing process respects them.
Why choose a Career in the paper?
Paper production has various diverse features, allowing you to specialize in a certain area of the industry. While the positions vary, several characteristics will serve you well anywhere in the sector.
You are interested in the industry. Paper manufacturing is highly industrialized. The process’s intricacy makes it difficult to be otherwise.
So, whether you work in a sawmill, a factory, or simply getting the trees ready for harvest, having some understanding and interest in the industry and product manufacturing is beneficial.
Details are crucial to you. Paper is difficult to make, and different recipes might produce dramatically diverse outcomes. However, details also apply to logging, production, and machine operation.
You are practical. All of these vocations are quite practical. Engineering is, in many respects, the science of the practical, and many of these other vocations also place a strong emphasis on practical issues.
Education And Certification Needs For A Career In Paper
The required level of education varies tremendously depending on whatever business you want to work in. However, if you want to work in the paper sector or are unsure whether your degree will be applicable, here are some options.
- Industrial Technology. This is a sort of general industry degree. It’s good if you want to work in manufacturing.
- Forestry. This focuses on forest management and husbandry. It’s a fantastic option if you want to be a forester or forestry technician.
- Forest engineering. If you wish to become a forest engineer.
- Engineering. This is a general-purpose degree that can lead to a variety of engineering careers.
- Manufacturing engineering. This is useful if you want to be a manufacturing engineer.
- Environmental engineering. If you want to become an environmental engineer.
- Chemistry. This provides a good foundation for both industry and research.
- Chemical engineering. If you wish to become a chemical engineer.
There are various sorts of certifications available in the environmental and manufacturing areas. Most of these positions do not require certifications, but seeking ones that are relevant to your field can improve your career possibilities.
Some factors to consider
- Industrial mechanics must be licensed. This necessitates extensive training and expertise, which is usually acquired through apprenticeship.
- The majority of machine operators require a license.
- Industrial hygienists must be certified.
- In most cases, loggers must receive safety instruction or hold an associate’s degree in forest harvesting.
Conclusion
People who work in the paper industry collect raw resources and create paper. The paper industry is divided into three segments: husbandry, collection and manufacturing.
Husbandry is the process of ensuring that trees are harvested sustainably. This can include a forester maintaining a forest, a silviculturist cultivating trees, or an environmental engineer assessing the impact of harvesting.
The collection entails logging and processing the timber. Not all wood is suitable for paper. Loggers cut down trees with the assistance of forestry engineers and experts, and sawmills process the lumber.
The final stage is manufacturing. This is the process of turning wood pulp into paper. This varies based on the type of paper being produced and whether it requires additional processing.
