Also called: Simulation Modeler, Operations Simulation Engineer
Builds computer simulations of factories, airports and hospitals to test changes before spending money.
You build a virtual warehouse where little robots and workers move boxes, then test whether adding a conveyor would really speed things up. Your animations help managers make million-dollar decisions.
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 industrial engineering; master's helps.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Industrial Engineering, Operations Research.
Growing much faster than average (about 11% over 10 years). Industrial engineers overall.
Medium risk for 10 years. AI helps build and run simulation models faster, so fewer modelers per project; validating models against reality stays human.
Classes: AP Statistics, AP Computer Science, AP Calculus, Physics.
Official data: O*NET occupation 17-2112.
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