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🩺 Healthcare
Radiology / Imaging Tech
Operate the machines that see inside us.
Entry earning
$55k
Rad Tech
Senior tier earning
$88k
Lead / Modality Specialist
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook
Words with a dotted underline are industry terms. Hover or tap for a plain-English definition.
What the job actually looks like
Radiology techs run the machines that take pictures inside the body: X-ray, CT, MRI, ultrasound. They position patients, operate the equipment, and make sure the images come out clear enough for a doctor to read.
Paths inside the field
Pick a branch to retrace the arc
Click any specialization. The timeline and salary curve above update to match.
The full arc
How this career unfolds
Rad Tech
Senior Tech
Lead / Modality Specialist
Surprising fact
A 2-year associate degree gets you into a $55k+ job with minimal debt and strong demand.
Lifestyle & optionality
The day-to-day reality
Typical hours
36 to 40/wk
High
High
Very low
Low
Jobs exist anywhere there's a hospital. Pay highest in CA and the Northeast.
Where this is heading
10-year outlook
Projected job growth (2023 to 2033)
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
AI and automation risk
AI will handle parts of the job, shifting what humans focus on.
Tailwinds
- Imaging volume growing fast
- MRI/CT specialization pays premium
Headwinds
- AI-assisted reading reduces per-scan labor
- Outsourced nighthawk reading
Real wages vs. inflation
Real wages roughly flat.
Two ways in
Education paths & payback
Standard route
Community college
Total cost
$12k
Length
2 yrs
How we calculate it: total education cost ÷ (15% of first-year pay put toward paying it back).
Standard route
Bachelor's program
Total cost
$90k
Length
4 yrs
How we calculate it: total education cost ÷ (15% of first-year pay put toward paying it back).
The real cost will be different for you
The numbers above are medians from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The price you actually pay depends on financial aid, scholarships, family help, state residency, and which schools accept you. A "$250k" private university is often $60k to $120k after aid. A "cheap" community college can still be out of reach without a plan. Use these as a starting point, then get real quotes from the specific schools you're considering.
Location matters
How pay changes by metro
Pay differs by about 20-35% across the country. Cost of living often cancels most of it.
| Metro | Pay at Senior Tech |
|---|---|
San Francisco Bay Area, CA | $97k |
New York City, NY | $94k |
Seattle, WA | $88k |
Boston, MA | $85k |
Washington, DC | $84k |
Los Angeles, CA | $83k |
Denver, CO | $76k |
Chicago, IL | $75k |
Austin, TX | $74k |
Atlanta, GA | $71k |
Dallas–Fort Worth, TX | $70k |
Phoenix, AZ | $68k |
Nashville, TN | $66k |
Indianapolis, IN | $63k |
Rural / small metro | $56k |
How to read this: Pay is US median for Senior Tech scaled by BLS metro wage data. Cost of living index is C2ER (US avg = 100). A means that metro isn't just paid better. It's essentially required to work at the top of this field.
Start now
What you can do in high school
Classes & electives
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Anatomy & Physiology
- Psychology
Things to try outside class
- Volunteer at a hospital, clinic, or nursing home
- Get CPR / First Aid certified
- Shadow a professional for a day
- Join HOSA (Future Health Professionals) if your school has it
Read, listen, watch
The cheapest way to find out whether you actually like a field is to read what people in it read.
- 'Being Mortal' by Atul Gawande (what medicine gets wrong about the end of life)
- 'When Breath Becomes Air' by Paul Kalanithi (a neurosurgeon's memoir)
- The NEJM 'Case Records' podcast (real diagnostic mysteries, free)
- Medscape and STAT News (daily medicine journalism)
None of this is required. It's just the lowest-friction way to find out if you actually like this kind of work before you commit money or time.
Salary and progression source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook (bls.gov/ooh). Figures are medians or typical ranges in today's dollars; real outcomes vary by employer, city, and specialty.