Also called: Flavor Chemist
Creates the flavors in sodas, chips, candy, toothpaste and plant-based burgers by blending natural and artificial flavor chemicals.
A snack company wants a new 'spicy mango' chip. You pull dozens of tiny bottles, blend a few drops of each, taste it on a cracker and keep adjusting. It takes a seven-year apprenticeship to become a certified flavorist, and there are only a few hundred in the US.
Estimate; very small profession.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 9 years after high school. Bachelor's in chemistry or food science plus a long apprenticeship to earn Society of Flavor Chemists certification.
Ways in: 4-year college, Apprenticeship. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Chemistry, Food Science.
Growing about average. Tiny field with steady demand.
Low risk in 5 years, medium in 10. AI suggests flavor formulas and predicts taste, but tasting, judging and the long certified apprenticeship keep it human-led.
Classes: AP Chemistry, AP Biology, Culinary arts class.
Official data: O*NET occupation 19-2031.
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.