Also called: Documentary Linguist
Records and documents endangered languages before they disappear.
Lives in a remote village for months, recording elders telling stories, transcribing them, and building the first dictionary of their language.
Mostly grant-funded; estimate.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Doctorate (PhD), about 10 years after high school. A bachelor's in linguistics or anthropology, then a PhD in linguistics that includes long stretches of fieldwork with speakers.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Linguistics, Anthropology.
Growing slowly (about 1% over 10 years). Estimate.
Low risk for 10 years. AI transcription helps, but living with communities and recording elders depend on trust and presence.
Classes: A world language, AP World History, AP English Language.
Official data: O*NET occupation 19-3099.
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.