Also called: Turbomachinery Engineer
Designs the turbopumps that shove tons of super-cold propellant into a rocket engine every second.
A turbopump the size of a trash can can have more power than a race car fleet. You design impellers and bearings, analyze vibration, and tear down pumps after tests to look for wear.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Master's degree, about 6 years after high school. Bachelor's in mechanical engineering; master's common.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $60k – $150k.
Majors to look at: Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering.
Growing much faster than average (about 9% over 10 years). Uses BLS mechanical engineers projection.
Low risk for 10 years. AI optimizes pump blade shapes; testing turbopumps that spin at extreme speeds and solving failures stay human.
Classes: AP Physics, AP Calculus, Shop or machining class, Computer science.
Official data: O*NET occupation 17-2141.
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