Also called: Audio Product Engineer, Synthesizer Design Engineer
Designs electric guitars, digital pianos, synthesizers, drum machines and effects pedals.
You build a prototype guitar pickup by winding copper wire thousands of times around a magnet, then plug it in and compare its tone with famous vintage ones. Later you test a new effects pedal circuit with a group of touring musicians.
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 electrical, mechanical or audio engineering.
Ways in: 4-year college. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Electrical Engineering, Audio Engineering, Mechanical Engineering.
Growing about average. Small, competitive niche; not tracked separately by BLS.
Medium risk for 10 years. AI sound models and software synths reduce some hardware work; building instruments and listening tests stay human.
Classes: Music or band, Electronics class, Physics, Computer science.
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.