Also called: Audio Software Engineer, Plugin Developer
Writes the code that processes sound in headphones, hearing aids, music software, and smart speakers.
You design the noise-cancelling algorithm for new earbuds, then spend afternoons in a soundproof room listening to how it sounds. Musicians who love math thrive here.
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 in electrical engineering, CS, or music technology; math-heavy.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Electrical Engineering, Music Technology, Computer Science.
Growing about average. Small niche.
Medium risk for 10 years. Neural audio models replace some classic signal processing; tuning sound for real products stays human.
Classes: AP Calculus, AP Physics, Music.
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.