Also called: Sports Equipment Designer
Designs sports gear like helmets, bikes, skis, golf clubs, and protective equipment.
They work with athletes and lab testers to make gear lighter, safer, and faster. A day might include impact-testing a football helmet prototype or riding a new mountain bike frame. Companies are often located near outdoor hubs like Portland, Boulder, and Salt Lake City.
Estimate based on industrial designer wages.
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 industrial design or mechanical engineering.
Ways in: 4-year college. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Industrial Design, Mechanical Engineering, Kinesiology.
Growing about average. Steady demand from the outdoor and sports industries.
Medium risk for 10 years. Simulation and AI help optimize shapes and materials; prototyping and real athlete testing stay human.
Classes: Physics, Engineering or CAD CTE, Physical education.
Official data: O*NET occupation 27-1021.
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.