Also called: Karst Scientist, Cave Specialist
Explores and studies caves, their formations, water, and strange creatures.
Speleologists squeeze through tight passages with headlamps, map caves, study blind cave animals, and protect groundwater that flows through cave systems. National parks like Mammoth Cave and Carlsbad Caverns employ them.
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 geology, hydrology, or biology plus caving experience.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $60k – $150k.
Majors to look at: Geology, Hydrology, Biology.
Growing about average (about 3% over 10 years).
Low risk for 10 years. Lidar scans and AI help map caves, but crawling tight passages, sampling water and studying cave life is hands-on work robots can't easily do.
Classes: Earth Science, AP Biology, Chemistry, Geography/GIS.
Official data: O*NET occupation 19-2042.
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