Also called: Brain Surgeon
Operates on the brain, spine, and nerves: tumors, aneurysms, and spinal injuries.
Spends hours at a microscope removing a brain tumor millimeter by millimeter while monitors track the patient's nerve signals. Other days are spine surgeries and clinic visits. Emergency calls for head trauma can come at any hour.
BLS top-codes many physician wages; figures are estimates for attending physicians after residency (residents earn about $65k-$80k while training). Extremely long training but top-tier pay.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Professional degree (MD, JD, DVM…), about 15 years after high school. Bachelor's, medical school, then a 7-year neurosurgery residency.
Ways in: 4-year college, Professional school. Training cost: Over $150k.
Majors to look at: Biology, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Neuroscience, Pre-Medicine, Biomedical Engineering.
Growing about average (about 3% over 10 years).
Low risk for 10 years. Navigation software and robots add precision to brain and spine work; no AI is close to running these operations.
Classes: AP Biology, AP Chemistry, AP Physics, AP Calculus.
Official data: O*NET occupation 29-1249.
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.