Also called: Fire Assayer, Mine Lab Technician
Tests rock samples in a mine lab, sometimes melting them in a furnace, to measure exactly how much gold, silver or copper they contain.
You crush and weigh rock samples, mix them with flux, and pour them into a 1,000°C furnace, an old-school method called fire assay. You pull out tiny beads of precious metal and weigh them on a balance accurate to a millionth of a gram. Your numbers tell the mine where to dig tomorrow.
Estimated from BLS chemical technicians in mining.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Certificate, about 1 year after high school. High school or a 2-year chemistry/lab technician program; assay methods are learned on the job.
Ways in: 2-year college, On-the-job training. Training cost: Under $15k.
Majors to look at: Chemical Technology, Chemistry.
Growing about average. Steady with metal prices.
Medium risk in 5 years, high in 10. Automated sample prep and XRF analyzers are replacing much hand assaying in modern mine labs.
Classes: Chemistry, Algebra 2.
Official data: O*NET occupation 19-4031.
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.