Also called: High-Speed Design Engineer
Makes sure ultra-fast signals inside computers, phones and AI servers arrive clean instead of garbled.
You simulate how a 100-gigabit signal bounces along a circuit-board trace, then hook a prototype to an oscilloscope worth more than a car to see the real "eye diagram." Small layout fixes can save a product. You work closely with chip and board designers to stop problems before they happen.
AI data-center hardware has pushed pay up.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Master's degree, about 6 years after high school. Bachelor's in electrical engineering; many have a master's.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $60k – $150k.
Majors to look at: Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering.
Growing faster than average (about 7% over 10 years). Electrical and electronics engineers overall.
Medium risk for 10 years. AI-assisted simulators automate many channel checks, reducing junior analysis; lab correlation and solving new high-speed problems stay human.
Classes: AP Physics C, AP Calculus, Computer science, Electronics class.
Official data: O*NET occupation 17-2072.
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.