Career field
Science Careers
Science careers are for people who are genuinely pulled by the question itself — who will sit with a hard problem for months because the answer matters. They reward analytical depth, rigor, and patience with slow-resolving work.
Many roles require advanced credentials, and the path in is longer than most clusters. But the work is intellectually rich and largely resistant to automation. The roles below span research and applied science across domains.
18 roles in this field, highest median pay first.
Data Scientist
$100K – $265K
Data Scientist career guide: crossover role — you translate between business questions and technical answers $145,000 median salary, day-to-day breakdown, required skills, and the path in.
Read guideResearch Scientist
$85K – $248K
Research Scientist career guide: industry research positions pay materially more than academic equivalents $125,000 median salary, day-to-day breakdown, required skills, and the path in.
Read guidePhysicist
$78K – $235K
Physicist career guide: national-lab + industry research positions pay materially above academic equivalents $125,000 median salary, day-to-day breakdown, required skills, and the path in.
Read guideStatistician
$72K – $215K
Statistician career guide: strong demand in pharma, finance, and government — three resilient sectors $105,000 median salary, day-to-day breakdown, required skills, and the path in.
Read guideAstronomer
$65K – $198K
Astronomer career guide: pure intellectual work in a field that genuinely advances human knowledge $105,000 median salary, day-to-day breakdown, required skills, and the path in.
Read guideGeneticist
$72K – $215K
Geneticist career guide: frontier science — crispr + gene editing are reshaping medicine $105,000 median salary, day-to-day breakdown, required skills, and the path in.
Read guideMaterials Scientist
$72K – $215K
Materials Scientist career guide: battery + semiconductor + advanced manufacturing booms drive durable demand $105,000 median salary, day-to-day breakdown, required skills, and the path in.
Read guideBiomedical Engineer
$72K – $195K
Biomedical Engineer career guide: cross-disciplinary work — engineering + biology + medicine in one role $102,000 median salary, day-to-day breakdown, required skills, and the path in.
Read guideEpidemiologist
$68K – $158K
Epidemiologist career guide: pandemic-era visibility raised the profile and salary band durably $88,000 median salary, day-to-day breakdown, required skills, and the path in.
Read guideChemist
$58K – $162K
Chemist career guide: industry roles in pharma + materials pay materially above academic equivalents $82,000 median salary, day-to-day breakdown, required skills, and the path in.
Read guideGeologist
$58K – $168K
Geologist career guide: oil & gas + mining roles still pay strong premium for field expertise $82,000 median salary, day-to-day breakdown, required skills, and the path in.
Read guideFood Scientist
$58K – $165K
Food Scientist career guide: cpg + ag-tech + alternative-protein industries all hiring food scientists actively $82,000 median salary, day-to-day breakdown, required skills, and the path in.
Read guideMicrobiologist
$52K – $152K
Microbiologist career guide: industry roles in pharma + biotech pay above academic equivalents $78,000 median salary, day-to-day breakdown, required skills, and the path in.
Read guideEnvironmental Scientist
$52K – $142K
Environmental Scientist career guide: climate-driven demand growth is structural and durable $75,000 median salary, day-to-day breakdown, required skills, and the path in.
Read guideBiologist
$50K – $138K
Biologist career guide: hands-on work with living systems — uniquely satisfying for the right temperament $72,000 median salary, day-to-day breakdown, required skills, and the path in.
Read guideForensic Scientist
$48K – $128K
Forensic Scientist career guide: public-sector stability + pension benefits $68,000 median salary, day-to-day breakdown, required skills, and the path in.
Read guideMarine Biologist
$42K – $128K
Marine Biologist career guide: field work + ocean expeditions are genuinely meaningful for the right temperament $65,000 median salary, day-to-day breakdown, required skills, and the path in.
Read guideLaboratory Technician
$38K – $88K
Laboratory Technician career guide: short certification path — practicing in under 2 years from start $52,000 median salary, day-to-day breakdown, required skills, and the path in.
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