Also called: Platform Engineer, Infrastructure Engineer
Builds the automated systems that let developers test and deploy software quickly and safely.
You write code that spins up servers on demand and a pipeline that deploys a new app version 50 times a day. When developers say 'it works on my machine,' you make it work everywhere.
Estimate.
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 or equivalent experience; Kubernetes and cloud certifications common.
Ways in: 4-year college, Certification, Self-taught. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Computer Science, Information Technology.
Growing faster than average. Steady demand.
Medium risk for 10 years. AI writes pipelines and infrastructure code fast, shrinking teams; platform design and reliability stay human.
Classes: AP Computer Science A, Computer applications.
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.