Also called: Maritime Archaeological Conservator, Waterlogged Artifact Conservator
Slowly rescues cannons, ship timbers and coins pulled from shipwrecks, using years-long chemical baths so they don't crumble once they meet air.
In a lab full of tanks, you chip crusty sea growth off a cannon from Blackbeard's ship and set it in a bath with electric current that pulls out salt over years. You x-ray a lump of rust to find a pistol inside, and keep waterlogged wood wet so it doesn't shrink and crack.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Master's degree, about 6 years after high school. Master's in conservation, maritime archaeology or chemistry; lab training.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Anthropology, Chemistry, Maritime Archaeology, Art Conservation.
Growing about average. A handful of specialized labs; projects run for decades.
Low risk for 10 years. Scanners and sensors help track treatments; chipping, cleaning and judging fragile objects by hand stay human.
Classes: Chemistry, AP World History, Earth or marine science.
Official data: O*NET occupation 25-4013.
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.