Also called: Autonomy Software Engineer (Space)
Writes the code that lets rovers and robot arms see, plan, and act on their own.
You train a model to recognize hazards in rover camera images, test path-planning software in simulation, and then on a real rover in a test yard.
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 computer science or robotics.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school, Self-taught. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Computer Science, Robotics, Computer Engineering.
Growing much faster than average (about 15% over 10 years).
Medium risk for 10 years. AI writes more robot code and tests, squeezing junior roles; safety-critical autonomy and field tests stay human.
Classes: AP Computer Science, AP Calculus, AP Physics, Statistics.
Official data: O*NET occupation 15-1252.
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.