Also called: Online Surveyor, Survey Navigator, Positioning Surveyor
Runs the satellite and underwater acoustic systems that tell ships, ROVs and cable layers exactly where they are.
On a construction ship laying a pipeline, the online surveyor sits in a room full of screens. They track the ship by GPS and the ROV on the seafloor by acoustic pings, guiding the crane to drop a 50-ton part within a few centimeters of its target. Shifts are 12 hours for weeks at a time.
Day rates offshore; higher on rotation.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Bachelor’s in surveying, geomatics, hydrography or ocean engineering.
Ways in: 4-year college, On-the-job training. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Geomatics / Surveying, Hydrography, Ocean Engineering.
Growing faster than average. Growing with offshore wind and subsea cables.
Low risk in 5 years, medium in 10. Positioning is getting more automated and remote, but complex offshore lifts still need a surveyor watching.
Classes: Geometry, Physics, Computer science.
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.