Also called: Snow Surveyor, Water Supply Forecaster
Skis and snowmobiles into the mountains to measure snowpack, then forecasts how much water will reach rivers and farms in spring.
Winter mornings you ride a snowmobile to a remote meadow, push a hollow tube through the snow to weigh it, and fix an automated SNOTEL station's frozen sensor. Back at the office you turn the numbers into spring water forecasts that farmers, cities and dam operators use to plan the whole year.
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 hydrology, geology, forestry or a related science.
Ways in: 4-year college. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Hydrology, Watershed Science, Geology, Forestry.
Growing about average. Small federal and state programs; Western water stress keeps it important.
Low risk for 10 years. Automated stations and models do more of the measuring; repairing remote sensors in deep snow and judging forecasts stay human.
Classes: Earth science, Physics, AP Statistics.
Official data: O*NET occupation 19-2043.
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