Also called: SIGINT Analyst
Analyzes intercepted communications and electronic signals from foreign targets.
SIGINT analysts at NSA study patterns in foreign communications and radar signals to figure out who is talking to whom and what they're planning. It's puzzle-solving with huge data sets and strict legal rules.
Federal GS or agency pay scale; DC-area locality pay is higher.
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 degree, U.S. citizenship, and a Top Secret security clearance (background check and often a polygraph).
Ways in: 4-year college, Military. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Majors to look at: Computer Science, Mathematics, International Relations, Foreign Languages.
Growing about average. Approximate.
Medium risk in 5 years, high in 10. AI sorts and analyzes intercepted signals at huge scale; fewer analysts sift raw traffic, more oversee the tools.
Classes: AP Computer Science, Physics, A foreign language.
Official data: O*NET occupation 33-3021.
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.