Operates floating machines that dig mud and sand from rivers, harbors, and beaches.
You work shifts on a dredge in a harbor channel, controlling a cutter head on the bottom and pumping sand to rebuild a beach.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
High school diploma, about 1 year after high school. A high school diploma plus about a year of on-the-job training on dredge crews; you need a TWIC card and sometimes Coast Guard credentials.
Ways in: On-the-job training. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Growing about average. No separate BLS projection for this specialty; rating is an estimate based on industry trends.
Low risk for 10 years. Dredges use automated positioning, but running a floating dig in tides and changing bottoms stays human.
Classes: Earth science, Diesel CTE.
Official data: O*NET occupation 53-7031.
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