Also called: Puzzle Maker
Creates crossword puzzles and other puzzles for newspapers, apps, and books.
Constructors build grids with clever themes, write hundreds of clues, and submit puzzles to editors at places like the New York Times. A few editors and constructors work full-time; most do it on the side.
Most constructors earn side income; full-time puzzle editors earn more.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
No formal education, about 0 years after high school. No degree; huge vocabulary, wordplay skills, and constructing software.
Ways in: Self-taught. Training cost: Under $15k.
Majors to look at: English, Linguistics.
Growing slowly. No separate BLS projection; estimate based on related occupations.
Medium risk in 5 years, high in 10. Grid-filling software and AI clue writers flood the market with cheap puzzles; clever human themes at top outlets survive but pay little.
Classes: English, Latin or a foreign language, Creative writing, Computer Science.
Official data: O*NET occupation 27-3043.
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.