Hey there, would you mind answering a few questions for me?

A bit of possibly unnecessary context, I just moved to Nevada (Pahrump) right before the epidemic, and I have gotten an interest in water. Mainly because Ive always seen it as an essential workforce that would stick around through crisises.

I'm still very early 20s, no college or certifications of any sort, just a couple years of experience split between food service and school custodial, so aside from fixing a couple sinks I have no real experience or knowledge when it comes to water treatment/ wastewater. Just a developing a strong interest and a desire to learn a well paying career.

I had a brother that was a boiler operator in a powerplant and it was described as being paid $40 an hour to not do a whole lot day to day, but know a lot for when things start going wrong. So thats an appealing aspect. But I'm not definitely not opposed to labor.

As for the actual questions, what skills / knowledge would you say is needed for the type of work that you do? Anything I should potentially brush up on before taking first steps into the industry?

What exactly is the first steps for someone with no specific education or experience? Is college required, or is it a specific course to learn about water treatment, if so how long / difficult / expensive is it?

What is the typical work day for you, or a typical water treatment plant operator?

I noticed a possible opening for a water meter technician position and I started looking at that as a possible starting point in the industry and was curious if you think there's much overlap there, and worth going for to eventually lead into a plant operator job.

I'm honestly not too concerned with the hiring process as I've been great with interviewing and well liked at different workplaces, but I want to be educated, qualified and understand what I could be getting into.

Thank you sincerely if you took the time to read all that have a good day and stay safe.