Takeover Tracker
30%medium risk
Water/Wastewater Engineers
vs

41 shared · 48 different

core competencies

40%medium risk
Civil Engineering Technicians

Side-by-Side Comparison

MetricWater/Wastewater EngineersCivil Engineering Technicians
Risk Score30.0%40.3%
Risk TierMedium RiskMedium Risk
Risk Percentile39th81th
Tasks at Risk (>50%)4 / 156 / 15
Median Salary$104,170$64,200
Employment38K62K

Skill Comparison

|

Sorted by largest difference

Developing and Building Teams
Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others
Developing Objectives and Strategies
Monitoring and Controlling Resources
Chemistry
Making Decisions and Solving Problems
Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates
Coaching and Developing Others
Communicating with Persons Outside Organization
Drafting, Laying Out, and Specifying Technical Devices, Parts, and Equipment
Scheduling Work and Activities
Analyzing Data or Information

Protective Factors

Higher values indicate stronger protection against AI displacement

Water/Wastewater Engineers

32%

total discount

Civil Engineering Technicians

28%

total discount

Task Risk Comparison

Tasks sorted by AI automation risk — higher means more automatable

Water/Wastewater Engineers

4 of 15 at risk
85%Gather and analyze water use data to forecast water demand.
54%Analyze and recommend chemical, biological, or other wastewater treatment methods to prepare water for industrial or domestic use.
52%Design domestic or industrial water or wastewater treatment plants, including advanced facilities with sequencing batch reactors (SBR), membranes, lift stations, headworks, surge overflow basins, ultraviolet disinfection systems, aerobic digesters, sludge lagoons, or control buildings.
51%Perform hydraulic analyses of water supply systems or water distribution networks to model flow characteristics, test for pressure losses, or to identify opportunities to mitigate risks and improve operational efficiency.
49%Analyze storm water or floodplain drainage systems to control erosion, stabilize river banks, repair channel streams, or design bridges.

Civil Engineering Technicians

6 of 15 at risk
86%Calculate dimensions, square footage, profile and component specifications, and material quantities using calculator or computer.
84%Develop project budgets by estimating the cost of project activities.
83%Read and review project blueprints and structural specifications to determine dimensions of structure or system and material requirements.
74%Draft detailed dimensional drawings and design layouts for projects and to ensure conformance to specifications.
67%Prepare reports and document project activities and data.

Wage Comparison

Civil Engineering Technicians earns -$39,970(-38%) vs Water/Wastewater Engineers
Water/Wastewater EngineersCivil Engineering Technicians
10th
$64,950$43,550
25th
$80,510$51,730
Median
$104,170$64,200
75th
$130,830$79,550
90th
$161,910$97,840

Premium Head-to-Head Analysis

Displacement Timeline Comparison

Water/Wastewater Engineers2028–2035
Civil Engineering Technicians2028–2035
20242030203520402045

Water/Wastewater Engineers has a longer runway before significant displacement, projected 0 years later than Civil Engineering Technicians.

Risk-Adjusted Salary

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

Water/Wastewater Engineers

$72,950

from $104,170

Civil Engineering Technicians

$38,321

from $64,200

After adjusting for AI risk, Water/Wastewater Engineers offers $34,629 more in risk-adjusted pay.

Transition Feasibility

1%

Skill Overlap

Low overlap — significant retraining needed for transition

0

Unique to Water/Wastewater

0

Unique to Civil

Combined Protection Strategy

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

Creativity
Decision Complexity
Social Intelligence
Fine Manipulation
Water/Wastewater EngineersCivil Engineering Technicians
Find transitions from Water/Wastewater EngineersFind transitions from Civil Engineering Technicians