If you know you want a job in science but the mainstream jobs are not what you had in mind, there are many interesting careers that you can have beyond the ones you usually hear about!
Fragrance Chemist
One of these is a fragrance chemist. Their job is to create scents for things like perfume. One plus about this job is that for entry-level work, only a bachelor’s degree is required. If you want to advance to independent work, you might need a master’s or Ph.D. A proficiency in gas chromatography (separating and analyzing compounds) is recommended. You can expect to make somewhere between $30,000 and $100,000. From 2018-2028 there will be a 4% increase in demand for fragrance chemists.
Volcanologist
Another cool and unique career to have in science is a volcanologist. Volcanologists’ job is to study volcanoes and determine whether or not they will erupt. Collecting samples and analyzing them would also be a part of this job. This is a dangerous job, and not for the faint of heart! If you held this position, you would be required to camp out near possibly active volcanoes. The USGS, United States Geological Survey, recommends taking as many math, physics and chemistry classes as you can if you are in high school to prepare you for this field. Geology is also a field you should consider studying. For this job, you should have at least a Master’s degree, if not a Ph.D. This job would take you to some interesting places, so if you enjoy traveling, you should consider this job!
Aerospace Engineer
NASA has a rover on Mars named “Curiosity”. Perhaps the coolest job on this list is driving this two-point-five billion-dollar piece of equipment. Launched in 2011, Curiosity landed on Mars in August of 2012. It even has a Twitter account! When driving this rover, the signal takes 22 minutes to reach it from Earth. “Blind Driving” can be used, where a sequence of commands are sent to Curiosity to send it in the right direction. In a more general field, to work at NASA as an engineer, aerospace, general, and computer, to be the most competitive you should have at least a master’s if not a Ph.D. To be able to work for the US space program would be very exciting and pay very well; the average salary is over $120 thousand.
You might not have heard of some of these jobs, but they are very unique and interesting. Never doubt that science is cool!
About The Author
Kenzie Fassinger is a senior at Northwood High School. Kenzie likes dance, reading, and theatre and she loves watching Star Wars and Marvel movies!
Sources
Cascades Volcano Observatory. (n.d.). Information About Volcanologists. Www.usgs.gov. https://www.usgs.gov/observatories/cascades-volcano-observatory/information-about-volcanologists
Fragrance Chemist Salary. (n.d.). Zip Recruiter. https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/Fragrance-Chemist-Salary
How Do I Become a Fragrance Chemist? (n.d.). Learn.org. https://learn.org/articles/How_Do_I_Become_a_Fragrance_Chemist.html
Tangermann, V. (2020, December 23). The guy who drives NASA’s Mars rover is dishing about the experience. Futurism. https://futurism.com/drive-nasas-mars-rover
Comentários