Also called: Lookout Observer
Lives in a tiny tower on a mountaintop all summer, scanning for smoke and reporting new fires.
You wake up in a glass-walled cabin on a peak with 360-degree views. All day you scan the horizon, using an Osborne Firefinder to pinpoint smoke and radio it in. You haul your own water, watch lightning storms roll by, and might not see another person for days.
Seasonal federal or state pay, often 4-6 months a year; some are volunteers.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
High school diploma, about 0 years after high school. Brief training; comfort with solitude required.
Ways in: On-the-job training. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Shrinking. Cameras and satellites are replacing many lookouts, though some towers stay staffed.
High risk for 10 years. AI smoke-spotting cameras now watch much of the West; only a few staffed lookouts remain, mostly as backup.
Age 18+. One way to start: Apply for seasonal fire lookout jobs on USAJOBS or state forestry sites in winter First: Seasonal government hiring: apply in winter for summer, plus a short training
Classes: Earth science, Geography.
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.