Also called: SAR Systems Engineer, Radar Imaging Engineer
Builds satellite radars that photograph Earth through clouds and darkness.
You design the radar, process raw echoes into sharp images, and check them against ground reflectors. SAR images are used to watch floods, oil spills, glaciers and ground sinking by fractions of an inch.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Master's degree, about 6 years after high school. Master's or PhD in electrical engineering.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $60k – $150k.
Majors to look at: Electrical Engineering, Physics.
Growing faster than average (about 7% over 10 years). Electronics engineers overall.
Low risk in 5 years, medium in 10. AI processes radar images and drafts code; designing radar hardware and testing in space stay human.
Classes: AP Physics C, AP Calculus, Electronics class, Computer science.
Official data: O*NET occupation 17-2072.
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