Also called: NOAA Tide Gauge Technician, Water Level Observation Technician
Installs and repairs the instruments that measure tides and currents along the coast.
A tide tech drives or boats to coastal stations, services sensors on piers, levels benchmarks with survey gear, and makes sure tide data feeds navigation charts and storm surge warnings.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Associate's degree (2-year), about 2 years after high school. Associate or bachelor's in a science or electronics field.
Ways in: 2-year college, 4-year college. Training cost: Under $15k.
Majors to look at: Electronics Technology, Marine Science.
Growing about average (about 3% over 10 years). BLS 2025-35 projection band for SOC 19-4099: Average (3% to 4%).
Low risk for 10 years. Stations report automatically, but servicing sensors on piers and leveling benchmarks stays fieldwork.
Classes: Electronics CTE class, Physics, Geometry.
Official data: O*NET occupation 19-4099.
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