Also called: Stack Tester, Air Emissions Testing Technician
Climbs smokestacks at power plants and factories to sample what is coming out and prove it meets air-pollution limits.
You haul probes and pumps up a ladder to a platform 200 feet up a stack. For hours you push a heated probe into the gas flow at set points, filling filters and impinger bottles. Back at the truck you run analyzers and help write the report the plant sends to regulators.
Travel and overtime are a big part of pay.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Associate's degree (2-year), about 2 years after high school. Associate or bachelor's in science or environmental technology; QSTI certification earned while working.
Ways in: 2-year college, 4-year college, On-the-job training, Certification. Training cost: Under $15k.
Majors to look at: Environmental Science, Chemistry, Environmental Technology.
Growing about average. Clean Air Act testing is required at thousands of facilities.
Low risk for 10 years. Analyzers and software automate math and reports, but climbing stacks and running EPA test methods stays human.
Classes: Chemistry, Environmental science, Algebra, Physical education.
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.