Also called: Simulation Data Engineer
Creates realistic fake data, like computer-generated street scenes or medical records, to train AI safely.
You generate 10,000 simulated rainy-night driving scenes to teach a self-driving car what a cyclist looks like in the dark. You check that the fake data is realistic enough to help, and that fake patient records cannot be traced back to real people.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Master's degree, about 6 years after high school. Bachelor's or master's in computer science, graphics or statistics.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Computer Science, Statistics, Computer Graphics.
Growing much faster than average. Growing as real-world data runs short and privacy rules tighten.
Low risk in 5 years, medium in 10. Demand rises as AI needs more training data; generators get more automated, but checking realism and bias stays human.
Classes: AP Statistics, AP Computer Science A, Art or 3D design.
Official data: O*NET occupation 15-1252.
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.