Also called: Product Inventor
Invents a physical product, gets it patented, prototyped and manufactured, then sells or licenses it.
You 3D-print the eighth version of your gadget and test it in your garage, then email a patent attorney and a factory in Ohio for price quotes. Some inventors pitch on TV shows like Shark Tank.
Most inventors earn little from inventions; licensing a hit product to a big company can pay royalties for years.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
No formal education, about 0 years after high school. No required degree; engineering or industrial design skills help a lot.
Ways in: Self-taught, 4-year college, Trade school. Training cost: Under $15k.
Majors to look at: Industrial Design, Mechanical Engineering, Entrepreneurship.
Growing about average. Not tracked by BLS.
Low risk in 5 years, medium in 10. AI design and simulation tools make prototyping cheaper and faster for everyone; building, testing and selling stays human.
Classes: Engineering or robotics CTE, Physics, 3D design or CAD, Woodshop or metal shop.
Official data: O*NET occupation 17-2141.
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.