Also called: Rigger, Heavy Lift Operator
Lifts and stacks rocket stages and spacecraft, some of the most expensive objects ever moved by crane.
You lift a rocket stage weighing as much as a jet airliner, inching it into place with a spotter on the radio. One jerk could ruin a billion-dollar vehicle.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
High school diploma, about 0 years after high school. High school diploma plus NCCCO crane certification and experience.
Ways in: Certification, Apprenticeship, On-the-job training. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Majors to look at: Crane Operation (certificate).
Growing about average (about 4% over 10 years).
Low risk for 10 years. Assisted lifting systems help, but moving rocket stages needs certified human operators.
Classes: Physics, Shop class, Geometry, Driver's education.
Official data: O*NET occupation 53-7021.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.