Also called: Spacecraft Software Engineer, Avionics Software Engineer
Writes the code that flies rockets, satellites, and airplanes.
You write the software that decides when a rocket's engines cut off, then run thousands of simulated launches to make sure it never fails. On launch day, you watch your code fly.
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 CS, aerospace, or computer engineering; often a security clearance.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Computer Science, Aerospace Engineering, Computer Engineering.
Growing faster than average. Growing with commercial space and defense.
Low risk in 5 years, medium in 10. AI speeds coding, but software that flies rockets must be verified and certified by accountable humans.
Classes: AP Computer Science A, AP Physics C, AP Calculus BC.
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.