Also called: Building Structural Engineer, Bridge Engineer
Calculates how beams, columns and foundations carry loads so buildings and bridges stay standing.
You get an architect's drawings for a school gym and figure out how big each steel beam must be to hold the roof plus three feet of snow. You build a 3D model, run it through analysis software, and mark up drawings for the steel fabricator.
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 or structural engineering; many get a master's; PE license.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Civil Engineering, Architectural Engineering.
Growing faster than average (about 5% over 10 years). Tracks civil engineers.
Low risk in 5 years, medium in 10. AI and automated design software check beams and draft drawings faster, so fewer junior calc jobs; licensed judgment and site review stay human.
Classes: AP Physics, AP Calculus, Drafting or CAD, Art or architecture.
Official data: O*NET occupation 17-2051.
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.