Also called: Transducer Engineer, Speaker Engineer
Designs speakers for headphones, cars, phones, home theaters and concert sound systems.
You build a new speaker driver from a paper cone, magnet and coil, then measure it in a room with foam spikes on every wall so there are no echoes. Then the most important test: a listening session where you play your favorite songs and take notes.
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 electrical or mechanical engineering, physics or audio engineering.
Ways in: 4-year college. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Acoustical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Physics, Audio Engineering.
Growing about average. Not tracked separately by BLS; a small, steady specialty.
Low risk for 10 years. AI helps simulate drivers and boxes; building prototypes and listening tests stay human craft.
Classes: Physics, Electronics class, Music or band, Shop class.
Official data: O*NET occupation 17-2199.
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.