Also called: Structural Wind Engineer, Wind Tunnel Consultant
Tests how wind pushes on skyscrapers, bridges and stadiums so they stay safe and comfortable.
You put a tiny model of a 90-story tower in a boundary-layer wind tunnel full of sensors, then figure out whether people at the top would feel it sway. Architects change shapes based on your results.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Master's degree, about 6 years after high school. Master's or PhD in civil or structural engineering.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Civil Engineering, Aerospace Engineering.
Growing faster than average (about 5% over 10 years). Civil engineers overall; a tiny specialty.
Low risk in 5 years, medium in 10. AI-driven fluid simulations reduce some wind-tunnel time; tunnel testing, interpreting results and safety decisions stay human.
Classes: AP Physics, AP Calculus, Computer science, Earth science.
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.