Also called: Tsunami Duty Scientist
Watches for undersea earthquakes and decides within minutes whether to warn coastlines of a tsunami.
At NOAA's tsunami warning centers in Hawaii and Alaska, you work rotating 24/7 shifts. When a big quake strikes, you have about five minutes to analyze it and issue a warning.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 5 years after high school. Bachelor's or master's in geophysics, oceanography, or meteorology.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Geophysics, Oceanography, Meteorology.
Growing slowly. BLS does not project this specialty separately; rating estimated from related occupations.
Low risk in 5 years, medium in 10. AI analyzes quakes faster, but issuing life-or-death warnings in minutes stays a trusted human call.
Classes: AP Physics, Earth science, AP Calculus.
Official data: O*NET occupation 19-2021.
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.