Also called: Space Program Manager
Leads big programs that build aircraft, satellites or rockets, managing cost, schedule and engineering teams.
You review why a satellite's test date slipped, brief a NASA or Air Force customer on progress, and decide how to spend a $2 million reserve budget.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 10 years after high school. Bachelor's in engineering plus years of experience; often a master's and security clearance.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Systems Engineering.
Growing faster than average. Growing with the space industry and defense spending.
Low risk for 10 years. AI helps with schedules and cost tracking; leading engineers and answering to NASA or Air Force customers stays human.
Classes: AP Physics, AP Calculus, Engineering CTE, AP Chemistry.
Official data: O*NET occupation 11-9041.
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.