Also called: ISTA Package Test Technician, Transit Test Technician
Drops, shakes, squeezes and freezes boxes in a lab to prove products will survive being shipped across the country.
A new box for a TV arrives at your lab. You drop it from set heights onto each corner and edge, shake it on a vibration table that mimics a truck ride, and stack weight on it in a humid chamber. Then you open it to see if the TV survived and write the report.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Associate's degree (2-year), about 1 year after high school. Associate or bachelor's in packaging, or on-the-job training.
Ways in: On-the-job training, 2-year college, Certification. Training cost: Under $15k.
Majors to look at: Packaging Science, Packaging Engineering Technology.
Growing faster than average. Online shopping means more packages to test.
Medium risk for 10 years. Simulation reduces some tests, but certified physical testing stays human-run.
Classes: Physics, Algebra, Art or design, Shop class.
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.