Uses a long-bladed grader to shape roads and pads to exact grade.
You shave a road bed down to the final inch, watching the GPS screen and feeling the blade, making a surface smooth enough for paving.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Apprenticeship, about 3 years after high school. Paid 3-4 year apprenticeship with the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) or a heavy equipment school.
Ways in: Apprenticeship, On-the-job training. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Majors to look at: Operating Engineers Apprenticeship.
Growing about average (about 4% over 10 years).
Low risk in 5 years, medium in 10. Grade-control systems already steer blades automatically, and full autonomy may reduce operators on big projects.
Classes: Geometry, Auto or diesel CTE.
Official data: O*NET occupation 47-2073.
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.