Studies soil and rock to design foundations, tunnels, and retaining walls that will not sink or slide.
You watch a drill rig pull soil samples from 80 feet deep, test them in the lab, and decide how deep the piles for a new tower must go.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 5 years after high school. Civil engineering degree with a geotechnical focus; often a master's; PE license.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Civil Engineering, Geological Engineering, Geology.
Growing faster than average (about 5% over 10 years).
Low risk in 5 years, medium in 10. AI helps read borings and run models; logging soil in the field and judging ground risk stay human.
Classes: Earth science, AP Physics, AP Calculus.
Official data: O*NET occupation 17-2051.
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.