Earth & Food
Irrigation Technician
Water management remains local and physical.
AI Risk Score: 3/10
Score is our body/liability/scarcity rubric, calibrated against public AI-exposure research.
Data last reviewed: 2026-07-21
What you actually do
Install and maintain irrigation systems for agriculture, landscapes, and municipal assets.
Why AI does not easily replace it
Field diagnostics, soil variability, and climate response decisions are site-dependent.
What it pays
$39,000 - $67,000
BLS OOH: Grounds Maintenance Workers (irrigation systems proxy)
Salary benchmark year: 2025
How to get in
Field pathway + irrigation association credentials where relevant.
Estimated time to entry: ~12 months (path-dependent).
State-by-state training and licensing links
- Apprenticeship.gov: Registered apprenticeship job finder
- Apprenticeship.gov: State apprenticeship offices
Where demand is growing
Climate pressure and water-use efficiency rules support demand.
Ready to explore?
Compare this career in the full directory, or run the exposure calculator against your current role.
"The moat is not a prompt. It is responsibility in the real world."
AI risk evidence
- Anthropic Economic Index (2025-26): measured AI usage and task coverage by occupation
- IMF, "New Skills and AI Are Reshaping the Future of Work" (Jan 2026): ~40% of global jobs exposed to AI-driven change
- Stanford HAI AI Index Report 2026 (labor chapters)
- Oxford Martin: The Future of Employment (2013), kept for historical grounding