Also called: Optimization Scientist, Decision Scientist
Uses math to find the best way to do things, like scheduling flights, routing deliveries, or staffing hospitals.
You build a model that plans which airline crews fly which flights to save millions, or figure out where a company should put warehouses.
BLS median (May 2024).
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Bachelor's in math, engineering, or operations research; many have a master's.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Operations Research, Mathematics, Industrial Engineering, Statistics.
Growing much faster than average (about 21% over 10 years).
Medium risk in 5 years, high in 10. AI tools build and solve optimization models from plain requests; fewer analysts, more who frame business problems.
Classes: AP Calculus, AP Statistics, AP Computer Science.
Official data: O*NET occupation 15-2031.
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