re: Plants that don't require you to shave your face

Best way to become an operator is make connections. Degrees are worthless IMO. If it's you're only "in" then go for it, but I wouldn't be overly optimistic about it. Most people don't jump right into operations either. I was doing something completely different than plant life before I started doing what I do now (dock operator). I'm just biding my time until I get enough relevant experience to make the transition to process or chemical operator.