Also called: Ground Systems Engineer
Designs the antennas, computers, and networks on Earth that control satellites and receive their data.
You plan a new ground station in a remote place, configure the software that schedules satellite passes, and fix a network glitch that dropped a data download.
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 electrical, computer engineering, or computer science.
Ways in: 4-year college. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science.
Growing faster than average (about 5% over 10 years).
Medium risk for 10 years. AI and cloud ground stations automate much setup; designing and fixing networks stays human.
Classes: AP Computer Science, Electronics class, Physics, Algebra II.
Official data: O*NET occupation 17-2072.
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