Also called: Cryptography Engineer, Cryptanalyst
Designs and tests the math that keeps messages, passwords, and money secret.
You work on new encryption that even future quantum computers can't break, or check whether a company's code uses encryption correctly. At the NSA, cryptanalysts try to crack other countries' codes.
Estimate.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Doctorate (PhD), about 8 years after high school. Master's or PhD in math or CS typical.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Mathematics, Computer Science.
Growing faster than average. Demand rising with post-quantum cryptography migration.
Low risk for 10 years. The shift to post-quantum encryption raises demand; inventing and proving secure math stays deep human research.
Classes: AP Calculus BC, AP Computer Science A, Number theory or math club.
Official data: O*NET occupation 15-1221.
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.