Also called: Hydroelectric Engineer
Designs and upgrades hydroelectric dams, turbines, and pumped-storage plants.
You plan a turbine upgrade to get more power from the same river, study fish-friendly turbine designs, and evaluate a hillside site for a pumped-storage 'water battery'.
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 civil, mechanical, or electrical engineering.
Ways in: 4-year college. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering.
Growing faster than average (about 5% over 10 years).
Low risk in 5 years, medium in 10. AI speeds hydraulic modeling and turbine design; upgrading aging dams is site-specific work that keeps engineers busy.
Classes: AP Physics, AP Calculus, Earth science.
Official data: O*NET occupation 17-2051.
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