Also called: Mine Engineer, Mine Design Engineer
Designs mines and plans how to safely dig out minerals like copper, lithium and gold.
You fly a drone over an open-pit copper mine to map the walls, then design next month's dig plan: where to blast, which trucks haul where, and how steep the walls can safely be. In the afternoon you go underground to check ventilation.
BLS May 2024 median $101,020 (mining and geological engineers); percentiles approximate.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Bachelor's in mining engineering.
Ways in: 4-year college. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Mining Engineering.
Growing slowly (about 1% over 10 years). BLS 2024-34 projection; critical-mineral mining for batteries may boost demand.
Low risk for 10 years. Autonomous trucks and AI planning reshape mines but need engineers to run them; site design and safety stay human.
Classes: Physics, Earth science, Chemistry, AP Calculus.
Official data: O*NET occupation 17-2151.
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