Also called: High-Speed Test Track Engineer, Sled Track Test Engineer
Straps missiles, ejection seats and parachutes onto rocket sleds that race down miles of rail at up to eight times the speed of sound.
On a desert test track nearly 10 miles long, you help mount a new missile nose onto a sled with stacks of rocket motors behind it. After the countdown, it shrieks down the rails in seconds. You collect high-speed camera footage and data to see if the part survived.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Bachelor's in mechanical or aerospace engineering; security clearance often required.
Ways in: 4-year college. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering.
Growing faster than average. Hypersonic weapons and new aircraft drive testing.
Low risk in 5 years, medium in 10. Simulation cuts some tests, but planning and running live rocket sled tests stays human.
Classes: AP Physics, AP Calculus, Engineering CTE, Shop class.
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