Also called: Energy Trader, Commodities Trader
Buys and sells electricity and natural gas in fast-moving markets, betting on weather, demand, and prices.
You arrive before dawn to check weather forecasts, watch prices on six screens, and make split-second trades when a heat wave pushes power prices up tenfold.
Bonuses can be larger than base pay; a few traders earn millions.
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 finance, economics, math, or engineering.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Finance, Economics, Mathematics.
Growing about average (about 3% over 10 years).
Medium risk in 5 years, high in 10. Algorithmic and AI trading already handle much of short-term power trading; fewer seats for new human traders.
Classes: AP Calculus, AP Statistics, Economics.
Official data: O*NET occupation 41-3031.
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.