Also called: Telescope Engineer
Keeps giant telescopes moving, cooled, and pointed perfectly at the sky.
You might work at 14,000 feet on Mauna Kea, servicing the motors that spin a 300-ton telescope, or writing software that tracks stars. Altitude sickness is part of the job.
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 mechanical, electrical, or software engineering.
Ways in: 4-year college. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering.
Growing about average. BLS does not project this specialty separately; rating estimated from related occupations.
Low risk for 10 years. AI helps scheduling and pointing software; servicing motors and cooling on remote mountaintops stays hands-on.
Classes: AP Physics, Engineering design, AP Computer Science.
Official data: O*NET occupation 17-2199.
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.