Takeover Tracker
30%medium risk
Aerospace Engineers
vs

70 shared · 13 different

core competencies

32%medium risk
Materials Engineers

Side-by-Side Comparison

MetricAerospace EngineersMaterials Engineers
Risk Score30.3%31.7%
Risk TierMedium RiskMedium Risk
Risk Percentile40th49th
Tasks at Risk (>50%)3 / 156 / 15
Median Salary$134,830$108,310
Employment68K23K

Skill Comparison

|

Sorted by largest difference

Chemistry
Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Material
Interacting With Computers
Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information
Production and Processing
Operations Analysis
Design
Processing Information
Technology DesignAI-Augmented
Drafting, Laying Out, and Specifying Technical Devices, Parts, and Equipment
Controlling Machines and Processes
Developing Objectives and Strategies

Protective Factors

Higher values indicate stronger protection against AI displacement

Aerospace Engineers

31%

total discount

Materials Engineers

31%

total discount

Task Risk Comparison

Tasks sorted by AI automation risk — higher means more automatable

Aerospace Engineers

3 of 15 at risk
86%Maintain records of performance reports for future reference.
71%Write technical reports or other documentation, such as handbooks or bulletins, for use by engineering staff, management, or customers.
51%Evaluate product data or design from inspections or reports for conformance to engineering principles, customer requirements, environmental regulations, or quality standards.
49%Develop software for aerospace systems.
49%Evaluate biofuel performance specifications to determine feasibility for aerospace applications.

Materials Engineers

6 of 15 at risk
86%Perform managerial functions, such as preparing proposals and budgets, analyzing labor costs, and writing reports.
84%Monitor material performance and evaluate material deterioration.
76%Conduct or supervise tests on raw materials or finished products to ensure their quality.
53%Review new product plans and make recommendations for material selection, based on design objectives such as strength, weight, heat resistance, electrical conductivity, and cost.
51%Evaluate technical specifications and economic factors relating to process or product design objectives.

Wage Comparison

Materials Engineers earns -$26,520(-20%) vs Aerospace Engineers
Aerospace EngineersMaterials Engineers
10th
$85,350$68,040
25th
$104,740$85,820
Median
$134,830$108,310
75th
$174,480$138,370
90th
$205,850$172,000

Premium Head-to-Head Analysis

Displacement Timeline Comparison

Aerospace Engineers2028–2035
Materials Engineers2028–2035
20242030203520402045

Aerospace Engineers has a longer runway before significant displacement, projected 0 years later than Materials Engineers.

Risk-Adjusted Salary

Salary weighted by displacement risk: salary × (1 − risk%)

Aerospace Engineers

$93,963

from $134,830

Materials Engineers

$73,987

from $108,310

After adjusting for AI risk, Aerospace Engineers offers $19,976 more in risk-adjusted pay.

Transition Feasibility

1%

Skill Overlap

Low overlap — significant retraining needed for transition

0

Unique to Aerospace

0

Unique to Materials

Combined Protection Strategy

Regardless of which path you choose, focus on these protective factors

Fine Manipulation
Regulatory Barriers
Creativity
Decision Complexity
Aerospace EngineersMaterials Engineers
Find transitions from Aerospace EngineersFind transitions from Materials Engineers