Also called: Drawbridge Engineer, Heavy Movable Structures Engineer
Designs and repairs the gears, motors and steel of drawbridges that swing, lift or tilt open for ships.
You inspect a 90-year-old drawbridge, crawling between massive gears and counterweights while a bridge tender raises it. Then you design new motors, brakes and controls so it opens smoothly for another 50 years without jamming open and snarling traffic.
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 mechanical, electrical or civil engineering; PE license.
Ways in: 4-year college. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering.
Growing about average. Many US drawbridges are old and need rebuilding.
Low risk in 5 years, medium in 10. Design software and AI drafting speed up drawings; inspecting old bridges and engineering sign-off stays human.
Classes: Physics, AP Calculus, Engineering CTE, Shop class.
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.