AI Career Radar

Water/Wastewater Engineers

Design or oversee projects involving provision of potable water, disposal of wastewater and sewage, or prevention of flood-related damage. Prepare environmental documentation for water resources, regulatory program compliance, data management and analysis, and field work. Perform hydraulic modeling and pipeline design.

AI exposure28 / 100Low exposure

Based on O*NET work context for this occupation. This score does not predict individual job losses.

What drives the score

Automation and repetition raise exposure; freedom to set tasks lowers it. Each measure uses a 0–100 scale.

Degree of automation22
Freedom to set tasks71
Repeating the same tasks35
$100,840Median annual wage, U.S.BLS OEWS
+6.4%Jobs, 2025 to 2035 (faster than average)BLS Employment Projections
71Skill durability (moderate)Transferability, out of 100

How well your skills transfer

Each skill is scored on how well it transfers into occupations that are growing and less exposed. The ones high on both importance and transfer are worth deepening.

Highest transferability first

Both scores out of 100

Skills ranked by transferability. Both scores use a 0–100 scale.
SkillTransferabilityImportance in current role
Critical Thinking
63
75
Judgment and Decision Making
63
75
Active Listening
63
72
Speaking
63
69
Monitoring
63
66
Complex Problem Solving
62
72
Active Learning
62
56
Coordination
62
53
Reading Comprehension
61
75
Time Management
61
69
Show 25 more skills
Skills ranked by transferability. Both scores use a 0–100 scale.
SkillTransferabilityImportance in current role
Writing
60
75
Social Perceptiveness
60
50
Learning Strategies
58
53
Instructing
58
53
Systems Analysis
57
72
Systems Evaluation
56
72
Service Orientation
56
50
Persuasion
54
50
Mathematics
53
72
Science
52
63
Negotiation
52
50
Management of Personnel Resources
50
56
Operations Analysis
49
56
Installation
48
0
Technology Design
47
47
Quality Control Analysis
47
41
Management of Financial Resources
47
31
Troubleshooting
47
28
Management of Material Resources
47
28
Equipment Selection
47
19
Equipment Maintenance
47
0
Operations Monitoring
46
47
Repairing
46
0
Programming
45
28
Operation and Control
43
28

Compare how well you can use each skill in growing, low-exposure occupations with its importance in your current role. How we score skills.

Jobs you could move to

Compare related occupations by skill overlap, retraining effort, pay and projected growth. Choose a priority to adjust the ranking. Licensing requirements may limit some routes.

92/100 match
Median pay · U.S.
$132,300
10-yr growth
+41%
Skill gap
8%
Retraining
Low

Skills to build: Social Perceptiveness, Service Orientation, Active Learning, Coordination

90/100 match
Median pay · U.S.
$120,230
10-yr growth
+34.6%
Skill gap
2%
Retraining
Low

Skills to build: Active Learning, Speaking

85/100 match
Median pay · U.S.
$166,570
10-yr growth
+9.7%
Skill gap
3%
Retraining
Low

Skills to build: Active Learning, Active Listening, Speaking, Persuasion

85/100 match
Median pay · U.S.
$167,220
10-yr growth
+8.2%
Skill gap
2%
Retraining
Low

Skills to build: Quality Control Analysis, Speaking, Active Listening, Coordination

85/100 match
Median pay · U.S.
$129,180
10-yr growth
+21%
Skill gap
5%
Retraining
Low

Skills to build: Quality Control Analysis, Operations Monitoring

85/100 match
Median pay · U.S.
$135,880
10-yr growth
+21.1%
Skill gap
6%
Retraining
Low

Skills to build: Social Perceptiveness, Service Orientation, Active Learning, Speaking

A second source of income, before you need it

This page can tell you where Water/Wastewater Engineers could go and what the move costs. The other route is not a move at all: something small of your own, running alongside the job, started while there is no pressure on it.

Where to learn the missing half: Google Career Certificates for systems analysis · active learning, LinkedIn Learning for writing · speaking, edX for mathematics · reading and PlanetNoCode for complex problem solving. Some of those are affiliate links. It never changes what we list.

Snapshot: O*NET 31.0, BLS OEWS May 2025, BLS Employment Projections 2025-2035. Scoring v2.1.0-onet-31.0. Method on the how it works page.