Also called: Plasma Engineer, Fusion Scientist
Works on machines that try to copy the Sun by fusing atoms together for nearly limitless clean energy.
You help run a test 'shot' on a fusion machine: superconducting magnets squeeze a plasma hotter than the Sun's core for a split second. Afterward you dig through sensor data to see how long it stayed stable and what made it wobble.
Venture-funded fusion startups offer high pay but no guarantees.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Doctorate (PhD), about 9 years after high school. PhD in nuclear engineering, plasma physics or mechanical engineering is common; some engineering roles need only a bachelor's.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Nuclear Engineering, Physics, Mechanical Engineering.
Growing much faster than average. Private fusion companies are hiring quickly from a small base.
Low risk for 10 years. AI helps control plasma and design magnets; building and testing first-of-a-kind fusion machines is human-led research.
Classes: AP Physics C, AP Calculus, AP Chemistry, Computer science.
Official data: O*NET occupation 17-2161.
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.