Takeover Tracker
29%medium risk
Environmental Engineers
vs

66 shared · 29 different

core competencies

32%medium risk
Materials Engineers

Side-by-Side Comparison

MetricEnvironmental EngineersMaterials Engineers
Risk Score29.1%31.7%
Risk TierMedium RiskMedium Risk
Risk Percentile34th49th
Tasks at Risk (>50%)2 / 156 / 15
Median Salary$104,170$108,310
Employment38K23K

Skill Comparison

|

Sorted by largest difference

Production and Processing
Biology
Law and Government
Public Safety and Security
Building and Construction
Operations Analysis
Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others
Communicating with Persons Outside Organization
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards
Customer and Personal Service
Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships

Protective Factors

Higher values indicate stronger protection against AI displacement

Environmental Engineers

34%

total discount

Materials Engineers

31%

total discount

Task Risk Comparison

Tasks sorted by AI automation risk — higher means more automatable

Environmental Engineers

2 of 15 at risk
85%Obtain, update, or maintain plans, permits, or standard operating procedures.
51%Prepare, review, or update environmental investigation or recommendation reports.
49%Develop site-specific health and safety protocols, such as spill contingency plans or methods for loading or transporting waste.
47%Provide technical support for environmental remediation or litigation projects, including remediation system design or determination of regulatory applicability.
47%Develop proposed project objectives and targets and report to management on progress in attaining them.

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 +$4,140(+4%) vs Environmental Engineers
Environmental EngineersMaterials Engineers
10th
$64,950$68,040
25th
$80,510$85,820
Median
$104,170$108,310
75th
$130,830$138,370
90th
$161,910$172,000

Premium Head-to-Head Analysis

Displacement Timeline Comparison

Environmental Engineers2028–2035
Materials Engineers2028–2035
20242030203520402045

Environmental 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%)

Environmental Engineers

$73,888

from $104,170

Materials Engineers

$73,987

from $108,310

After adjusting for AI risk, Materials Engineers offers $99 more in risk-adjusted pay.

Transition Feasibility

1%

Skill Overlap

Low overlap — significant retraining needed for transition

0

Unique to Environmental

0

Unique to Materials

Combined Protection Strategy

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

Social Intelligence
Fine Manipulation
Regulatory Barriers
Decision Complexity
Environmental EngineersMaterials Engineers
Find transitions from Environmental EngineersFind transitions from Materials Engineers