Also called: Free-Space Optical Communications Engineer
Designs laser links that beam internet data between satellites, aircraft, and ground stations.
You figure out how to keep a laser beam pointed at a satellite thousands of miles away while both are moving. You test terminals on rooftops and in lab simulators, and study how clouds and turbulence disrupt the signal. Satellite networks and NASA missions use this technology now.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Master's degree, about 6 years after high school. Bachelor's or master's in electrical engineering, optics, or physics.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Electrical Engineering, Optical Engineering, Physics, Aerospace Engineering.
Growing much faster than average. Satellite constellations are rapidly adopting laser crosslinks.
Low risk in 5 years, medium in 10. Satellite laser links are booming; AI helps pointing and modeling, but building and testing terminals stays human.
Classes: AP Physics, AP Calculus, 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.