Also called: Audio Signal Processing Engineer, Audio Algorithms Engineer
Writes the math and code that make earbuds cancel noise, smart speakers hear you and video calls sound clear.
You record yourself talking next to a blender, then tune your noise-cancelling algorithm until the blender almost vanishes and your voice stays natural. You run the code on the earbud's tiny chip and listen through a test head with microphones in its ears.
Big tech companies pay the most, often with stock.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Master's degree, about 6 years after high school. Bachelor's in electrical engineering; master's in signal processing is common.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $60k – $150k.
Majors to look at: Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Acoustical Engineering.
Growing faster than average (about 7% over 10 years). Tracks electronics engineers.
Medium risk for 10 years. AI audio models now replace some hand-written signal processing, reducing junior coding; listening tests and product judgment stay human.
Classes: AP Calculus, AP Computer Science, AP Physics, Music.
Official data: O*NET occupation 17-2072.
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