Also called: Magic Prop Builder, Illusion Engineer
Designs and builds the secret props and machinery behind magic tricks.
An illusion designer builds a box that seems to saw a person in half, tests the hidden mechanism dozens of times, and teaches the magician exactly how to use it. Every secret must stay secret.
Approximate.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Engineering, fabrication, or theater tech background.
Ways in: 4-year college, On-the-job training. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Theater Technology, Mechanical Engineering.
Growing about average. Small niche.
Low risk for 10 years. CAD and CNC speed builds, but inventing and building hidden mechanisms stays human craft.
Classes: Physics, Woodshop, Drafting or CAD CTE, Theater tech crew.
Official data: O*NET occupation 27-1027.
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.