Also called: Chief Engineer, DOT Division Administrator, Transportation Director
Senior engineer who leads highway and bridge programs for a state Department of Transportation.
You decide which of hundreds of aging bridges get rebuilt first, approve multi-billion-dollar budgets, and brief legislators. After a major storm or bridge strike, you lead the emergency response and repairs.
Based on BLS architectural and engineering managers; public-sector pay varies by state.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 20 years after high school. Bachelor's in civil engineering, a Professional Engineer (PE) license, and 15-20+ years of experience.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school, On-the-job training. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Civil Engineering, Transportation Engineering.
Growing about average (about 4% over 10 years). Steady; strong federal infrastructure funding.
Low risk for 10 years. AI helps with project data and planning; leading big programs, safety calls and public accountability stay human.
Classes: AP Physics, AP Calculus, Government.
Official data: O*NET occupation 11-9041.
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.