Also called: Utility Locator, GPR Operator
Uses radar to see buried pipes, cables, graves, and archaeological sites without digging.
You push a radar cart over a parking lot or a field, reading the screen to mark buried utilities before construction crews dig. Some techs help archaeologists and police find hidden graves.
Based on surveying and mapping technicians.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
High school diploma, about 0 years after high school. High school diploma plus on-the-job training and certification.
Ways in: On-the-job training, Certification. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Majors to look at: Surveying Technology, Geophysics.
Growing about average (about 3% over 10 years).
Low risk in 5 years, medium in 10. AI helps read radar screens, but pushing carts and marking utilities on site stay hands-on.
Age 18+. One way to start: Apply to private utility locating companies as a locator trainee; they teach the radar
Classes: Physics, Geometry, Construction CTE.
Official data: O*NET occupation 17-3031.
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.