Also called: Self-Driving Software Engineer, Perception Engineer, ADAS Engineer
Builds the software and sensors that let cars and trucks drive themselves.
You write code that helps a car recognize pedestrians in lidar and camera data, then review clips where the car hesitated at a weird intersection. Some days you ride in test vehicles to see your code work on real streets.
Based on BLS software developers; top AV companies pay much more with stock.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Master's degree, about 6 years after high school. Bachelor's in computer science, robotics, or electrical engineering; many have master's or PhDs.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Computer Science, Robotics, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering.
Growing much faster than average (about 15% over 10 years). Software developers are projected to grow much faster than average.
Medium risk for 10 years. AI writes much of the code now; system design, safety checks and real-road testing stay human, with fewer junior hires.
Classes: AP Computer Science, AP Calculus, AP Physics.
Official data: O*NET occupation 15-1252.
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.