Geological technicians, except hydrologic technicians
Typically requires Associate's degree
What is this page & how do I use it?
This is a research report for one career — the kind an analyst would write for a stock. The rating at the top is the neutral baseline (same for everyone); below it come the cases for and against, how the last official forecast for this career actually aged, and what the education path costs and pays.
How to use it: read the bulls-vs-bears case, then hit Score this career to weigh it against your other options with your own interests factored in.
Analyst take: Softer prospects — +1.5% projected growth, low AI exposure (39/100).
Moat (borrowed from investing — the water that defends a castle): how shielded this career is from AI. None = broadly exposed — many of its tasks are automatable and its skills are widely shared. (Exposure ≠ job loss; see the bears below.)
The small grid is a style box (borrowed from Morningstar’s fund reports): the blue square places this career on reward (top row = high) versus risk (left column = low), against all 730 careers. Medium uncertainty means the score leans partly on forward-looking bets like AI exposure, so treat the exact number loosely.
- +Low AI exposure — resilient (39% of tasks exposed).
- −Below-median pay ($48,390).
- −Slow growth — behind 59% of careers.
Education & ROI — how to get here
Real outcomes for the college majors that feed this occupation, across 503 bachelor’s programs.
Earnings & debt from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard; majors mapped to this occupation via the NCES CIP→SOC crosswalk. A grounded ROI snapshot, not a guarantee — pay varies widely by school and specialty.