Also called: Rubber Chemist, Elastomer Engineer
Creates the rubber recipes for tires, seals, shoe soles and hoses.
You mix rubber with oils, carbon black and other ingredients on a big roller mill, bake samples, and stretch them until they snap. A good recipe makes a tire grip better and last longer.
Many jobs are in Ohio, home of the US tire industry.
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 chemical engineering, chemistry or polymer science.
Ways in: 4-year college. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Chemical Engineering, Polymer Science, Chemistry.
Growing about average (about 3% over 10 years). Chemical engineers overall.
Medium risk for 10 years. AI suggests rubber recipes and predicts wear; mixing trials, lab testing and solving tire or seal failures stay human.
Classes: Chemistry, Physics, Algebra II, Auto shop.
Official data: O*NET occupation 17-2041.
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.