Also called: Roller Coaster Engineer
Designs and tests roller coasters and theme park rides.
Ride engineers model forces on riders, design track and safety systems, and supervise testing with water-filled dummies before anyone rides. Companies like Disney, Universal, and coaster makers hire them.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 6 years after high school. Bachelor's in mechanical engineering; many intern at theme parks.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Civil Engineering.
Growing much faster than average (about 9% over 10 years).
Low risk in 5 years, medium in 10. AI speeds CAD and force modeling, trimming junior drafting; designing safety systems and supervising ride tests stay human.
Classes: AP Physics, AP Calculus, CAD/engineering CTE, Art.
Official data: O*NET occupation 17-2141.
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.