Also called: Gearbox Engineer, Transmission Design Engineer
Designs the gears and gearboxes inside cars, wind turbines, robots and helicopters.
You choose tooth shapes and materials so a gearbox runs quietly for 20 years, then test prototypes on a dynamometer that spins them until they wear out. Quiet, smooth gears are what make an EV feel silent.
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.
Ways in: 4-year college. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Mechanical Engineering.
Growing much faster than average (about 9% over 10 years). Mechanical engineers overall.
Medium risk for 10 years. AI tools optimize tooth geometry and predict noise; dynamometer testing, failure analysis and design sign-off stay human.
Classes: AP Physics, AP Calculus, CAD or machining CTE, Auto shop.
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.