Coastal Engineer
Impact: Problem-solving and innovation
Design and manage projects related to coastal protection, harbor development, and marine infrastructure.
What the day looks like
- People interaction
- Moderate
- Team vs solo
- 37% Team / 63% Solo
- Client facing
- Rarely
- Impact visibility
- Moderate
- Travel
- 10-20% domestic
- Schedule flexibility
- Moderate
- Remote work
- Limited Remote
- Typical work hours
- 42-52 hours/week
- Stress level
- High
At a glance
- Median salary
- $113,000
- Entry-level
- $77,000
- Senior
- $129,000+
- Growth by 2033
- 10% (faster than average)
- Demand
- Stable
- Freelance potential
- None
- Salary growth potential
- High to 68% growth from entry to senior
- Typical student debt
- $20,000 - $40,000
Skills you'll use
Hard skills
- CAD Software
- Control Systems
- Circuit Design
- Thermodynamics
- Data Analysis
Soft skills
- Adaptability
- Emotional Intelligence
- Interpersonal Skills
- Time Management
Technical complexity: High
How to get there
- Minimum education
- Bachelor's Degree
- Licensing
- No
- Years to mid-career
- 5-6 years
- Years to senior
- 9-15 years
- Career switching
- Moderate
Where this career leads
How people arrive here
Where you can go from here
Typical progression
- Entry Level
- Mid Level
- Senior Level
- Lead/Manager
Future outlook
- Automation probability
- 21% to moderate risk due to specialized skills
- AI disruption risk
- Low
- Demand trend
- Stable
How people feel about it
- Overall satisfaction
- 8.1/10
- Meaning
- 6.5/10
- Work-life balance
- 5.9/10
- Prestige
- 5.2/10
- Social perception
- High