Also called: Submersible Pilot, Alvin Pilot
Pilots crewed submarines that take scientists thousands of meters down to the seafloor.
Inside a tiny sphere, the pilot descends for hours into darkness, then steers the sub along hydrothermal vents or shipwrecks while scientists collect samples with robotic arms. Between dives, pilots maintain every system on the sub.
Very few positions; pay is an estimate.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 6 years after high school. Typically engineering or technical background, plus years as a technician on the sub team. Very few positions exist (e.g., Woods Hole's Alvin and a few privately operated research and tourism subs).
Ways in: 4-year college, Military, On-the-job training. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering Technology, Ocean Engineering.
Growing slowly. Tiny field with only a handful of jobs nationwide.
Low risk for 10 years. Robots take more dives, but the few crewed subs still need skilled human pilots and technicians.
Classes: Physics, Electronics CTE class, AP Calculus.
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.