How To Become A Rocket Engine Tester: What It Is and Career Path

What is a rocket engine tester and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a rocket engine tester. For example, did you know that they make an average of $26.56 an hour? That's $55,241 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow -3% and produce -17,200 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreRocket Engine TesterUS Average

Salary

4.3

Avg. Salary $55,241

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.2

Growth rate -3%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

7.8

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.73%

Asian 7.52%

Black or African American 9.63%

Hispanic or Latino 16.60%

Unknown 4.17%

White 61.36%

Gender

female 13.33%

male 86.67%

Age - 46

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 46

Stress level

8.2

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

5.3

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.4

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a rocket engine tester

Explore rocket engine tester education requirements

Most common rocket engine tester degrees

Bachelor's

76.9 %

Master's

15.4 %

Associate

7.7 %

Start to develop specific rocket engine tester skills

Skills	Percentages
Mechanical Design	61.56%
CAD	38.44%

Complete relevant rocket engine tester training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New rocket engine testers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a rocket engine tester based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real rocket engine tester resumes.

Research rocket engine tester duties and responsibilities

Work with the inter-departments with DOD, OHSA, and EPA to submit proposal for a new heavy lift vehicle.
Work closely with NASA customers and ATK personnel to recommend solutions to difficult issues in redesign.
Ensure compliance with environmental regulations.

Prepare your rocket engine tester resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your rocket engine tester resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a rocket engine tester resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable rocket engine tester resume templates

Build a professional rocket engine tester resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your rocket engine tester resume.