Also called: Hydraulics Engineer, Pneumatics Engineer
Designs the hydraulic and air-powered systems that move excavator arms, aircraft landing gear and factory robots.
You design the hydraulic circuit that lets a garbage truck lift and flip a dumpster. You size pumps and valves, then go to the test yard and watch the arm lift a 2-ton block while you read pressure gauges.
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 mechanical engineering; fluid power certifications (IFPS) are a plus.
Ways in: 4-year college, Certification. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Mechanical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering Technology.
Growing about average. Steady demand in construction, ag and mobile equipment.
Low risk for 10 years. AI helps size components and simulate circuits; building, commissioning and troubleshooting real hydraulic systems on heavy machines stays human.
Classes: Physics, Algebra II, Auto or diesel shop, Engineering design CTE.
Official data: O*NET occupation 17-2141.
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.