Also called: LIGO Operator, Detector Operator
Keeps a miles-long laser detector running through the night so it can catch ripples in space from colliding black holes.
In the control room of a detector with two arms each 2.5 miles long, you watch lasers bounce between mirrors kept steady to less than the width of a proton. An earthquake in Japan shakes it out of lock, and you spend an hour bringing it back. When an alert pops up, you check it is real before it goes to astronomers worldwide.
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 physics, engineering or a related science.
Ways in: 4-year college. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Physics, Engineering Physics, Astronomy.
Growing about average. Very few positions, tied to science funding.
Medium risk for 10 years. Automation and AI handle more of the detector's tuning, but on-site operators still watch and fix problems.
Classes: AP Physics, AP Calculus, Computer programming, Astronomy.
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.