The twentieth century was defined by technology. A short list of life-changing technological innovations from the 1900s includes cars, jets, space satellites, radio, television, photocopiers, pacemakers, the Internet, refrigerators, washing machines, cell phones, and digital computers. Imagine working in a field that regularly produces things that most people, once having used them, would not want…
Good jobs do not magically appear. Anyone who has been in the job market knows that landing the right job takes planning, preparation, perseverance, and patience. This is true whether you are looking for your first job, reentering the job market, trying to get a new job, or planning a mid-career change. This essay is designed to guide you through the process of finding a job, from helping you defi…
Education and Training: High school plus two years of training Salary: Median—$52,250 per year Employment Outlook: Good The aerospace industry is based on aeronautics, the science of flight, and on astronautics, the science of space travel. Both aircraft and spacecraft are produced in this industry. Aerospace engineering and operations technicians construct, test, and maintain aircraft and …
Education and Training: High school plus training Salary: Median—$38,000 per year Employment Outlook: Very good Alternative fuels vehicles are cars, vans, trucks, and buses that run on fuels other than gasoline or diesel. At present, the two types of alternative fuels vehicles in greatest use are those that run on compressed natural gas (CNG; natural gas under high pressure) and those that …
Education and Training: High school plus training Salary: Median—$17.36 per hour Employment Outlook: Poor Cable television and telecommunications technicians install, maintain, and upgrade cable systems. They also perform repair work and respond to service problems at the homes of cable users. Their main goal is to keep a cable system operating efficiently. Cable technicians generally start…
Education and Training: High school plus two years of training Salary: Median—$18.35 per hour Employment Outlook: Fair Chemical technicians assist chemists and chemical engineers who develop, produce, and use chemical products, equipment, and related items. Most chemical technicians work for private companies, especially those that make chemicals, drugs, rubber, and steel. Chemical technici…
Education and Training: High school plus two years of training Salary: Median—$46,310 per year Employment Outlook: Good Electrical and electronic engineering technicians help design, develop, test, manufacture, and repair electrical and electronic equipment. Electrical components of equipment provide power. Electronic components control the equipment, although many types of equipment still …
Education and Training: High school plus training Salary: $15.54 to $25.86 per hour Employment Outlook: Fair to good Electrical and electronics installers and repairers are sometimes called electronics technicians. As their name suggests, these workers install and repair electrical and electronic equipment. The electrical components of equipment provide power. The electronic components control the…
Education and Training: High school plus two years of training Salary: Median—$41,440 per year Employment Outlook: Good Electromechanical engineering technicians work with equipment that uses electric power to operate mechanical controls. Technicians who work on this equipment understand the basic laws of electricity and electronics as well as mechanics. They design, develop, test, and manu…
Education and Training: High school Salary: Median—$13.44 per hour Employment Outlook: Poor Electronic home entertainment equipment installers and repairers set up and service televisions and radios, VCR and DVD equipment, video cameras, and stereo components such as CD players. Some technicians also install home theaters, satellite television dishes, home security systems, and intercoms. M…
Education and Training: High school plus two years of training Salary: $20,000 to $50,000 per year Employment Outlook: Good Hydraulic and pneumatic technicians are sometimes called fluid power technicians, because they maintain and repair equipment and machines that use pressurized fluids to carry power from one place to another. Hydraulic and pneumatic systems are two types of fluid power systems…
Education and Training: High school plus two years of training Salary: Median—$43,400 per year Employment Outlook: Good Mechanical engineering technicians assist mechanical engineers and sometimes scientists in all phases of the design, development, production, testing, operation, and maintenance of mechanical equipment, tools, and industrial machinery. Mechanical engineering technology is …
Education and Training: High school plus two years of training Salary: Median—$43,400 per year Employment Outlook: Fair Metallurgical engineering is a subdivision of materials engineering. "Materials" refers to substances such as metals, ceramics, plastics, semiconductors, and composites that are used in the development of products. Materials engineers are involved in selectin…
Education and Training: High school plus two years of training Salary: Median—$28.46 per hour Employment Outlook: Fair Nuclear technicians work in the field of nuclear energy. Nuclear energy is produced from the splitting of atoms, a process called nuclear fission. Radioactivity is the spontaneous emission of energy and/or high-energy particles from the nuclei of atoms when they are split. …
Education and Training: High school plus two years of training Salary: $15.97 to $18.35 per hour Employment Outlook: Very good Pharmaceutical technicians assist scientists in the pharmaceutical industry. They are sometimes called drug technicians. Their jobs vary depending on their employer's needs. Most pharmaceutical technicians work for private companies that make finished drugs, such as…
Education and Training: High school and two years of training Salary: Median—$55,000 per year Employment Outlook: Excellent Photonics technicians are trained in the use of devices and systems associated with fiber optics and lasers, and with their applications. The job title comes from the word "photon," which is a unit of light. Photonics is the science of using light to gene…
Education and Training: High school plus two years of training Salary: $13.47 to $21.25 per hour Employment Outlook: Fair to good Precision instrument and equipment repairers, sometimes called instrumentation technicians, help install, repair, and maintain complex instruments. These instruments are varied and include watches and clocks, musical instruments, photographic equipment, and medical equi…
Education and Training: High school plus two years of training Salary: $30,400 to $50,500 per year Employment Outlook: Excellent Robotics, or flexible automation, is the technology involving the design, maintenance, and use of robots. Robotics technicians work as part of the team that produces robots, which are machines designed to perform tasks in place of a living agent. Most robots are "…
Education and Training: High school plus two years of training Salary: Median—$13.85 per hour Employment Outlook: Poor Semiconductor processors, sometimes known as integrated circuit technicians, are production workers who manufacture semiconductors. Semiconductors (also known as integrated circuits, computer chips, and microchips) are tiny electronic systems produced on minute slices of si…
Education and Training: Varies—see profile Salary: Median—$23.96 per hour Employment Outlook: Poor Telecommunications central office technicians keep the complex and sophisticated equipment used in the telecommunications industry working properly. They are in charge of installing, maintaining, and repairing the electronic and electromechanical switching equipment in the central offic…
Education and Training: Varies—see profile Salary: Median—$23.96 per hour Employment Outlook: Poor Telephone service technicians are one of the largest groups of telephone company workers. They repair and install telephone lines and small switchboard systems at customers' houses and offices. Working from trucks that carry the equipment they need, these technicians spend much o…
Education and Training: High school plus formal training Salary: Average—$45,000 per year Employment Outlook: Good Wireless communications technicians help to build and maintain the infrastructure supporting wireless communications systems. Wireless communications systems encompass two-way radios, cellular phones, beepers, wireless Internet (WiFi) access, hand-held computers, vehicle locati…
Education and Training: Associate's or bachelor's degree Salary: Median—$15.97 per hour Employment Outlook: Good Biological technicians assist scientists who study living things and their life processes. Like agricultural technicians and medical laboratory technicians, biological technicians work in the life sciences. Their field is biology, which is a very broad life science …
Education and Training: Bachelor's degree Salary: Median—$15.97 per hour Employment Outlook: Good Genetic engineering research assistants work with research scientists in the development and testing of genetically engineered products. Genetic engineering is the science concerned with the manipulation or modification of genes in plants, animals, and microorganisms. Genetic engineering…
Education and Training: Bachelor's degree Salary: Median—$79,100 per year Employment Outlook: Good Aerospace engineers design, develop, and test aircraft, missiles, and space vehicles and oversee their production. They often specialize in one kind of vehicle, such as passenger planes, helicopters, or rockets. In some cases, they also work with earthbound vehicles, such as deep-diving…
Education and Training: Bachelor's degree Salary: Median—$67,110 per year Employment Outlook: Good Air-conditioning engineers are mechanical engineers who work on systems that cool, heat, purify, circulate, humidify, and dehumidify air. Climate control systems are used in a wide range of indoor areas, from office buildings to tractor-trailer cabs. These systems help people work and l…
Education and Training: Doctoral degree Salary: Median—$65,110 per year Employment Outlook: Good Anatomists are biological scientists who study the structure of living things. Most anatomists are biomedical researchers and educators focusing on human anatomical form and function. Many specialize in areas such as biological imaging, cell biology, genetics, molecular development, endocrinolog…
Education and Training: Doctoral degree Salary: Median—$43,890 per year Employment Outlook: Good Anthropologists are social scientists who study the origin and physical, cultural, and social development of human beings. Anthropologists study the language, traditions, beliefs, possessions, and values of people in various parts of the world and formulate hypotheses to explain their research a…
Education and Training: Master's or doctoral degree Salary: Median—$74,980 per year Employment Outlook: Excellent Artificial intelligence (AI) specialists program computers to "think." Some AI specialists work in cognitive simulation, in which computers are used to test hypotheses about how the human mind works. For example, the AI specialist might develop a computer pr…
Education and Training: Doctoral degree Salary: Median—$97,320 per year Employment Outlook: Fair Astronomers are sometimes called astrophysicists. They use the laws of physics and mathematics to learn about the nature of matter and energy throughout the universe, which includes the sun, moon, planets, stars, and galaxies. In addition, astronomers apply their knowledge to solve problems in n…
Education and Training: Doctoral degree Salary: Median—$68,950 per year Employment Outlook: Good Biochemists are scientists who study the chemistry of living things. Their work includes studying the complex chemical combinations and reactions involved in metabolism, reproduction, growth, and heredity. Some biochemists do basic research that expands scientific knowledge about the chemistry o…
Education and Training: Master's or doctoral degree Salary: Average—$69,908 per year Employment Outlook: Good Biologists study the origin, development, structure, and function of plant and animal life. The word biology comes from the Greek word bios, which means "mode of life." Like medicine and agriculture, biology covers a broad area within the life sciences. Biologis…
Education and Training: Master's degree Salary: Median—$67,690 per year Employment Outlook: Very good Biomedical engineers combine their knowledge of biology and medicine with engineering principles and practices to develop devices and procedures that solve medical and health-related problems. That is, biomedical engineers try to answer medical challenges by helping design and develo…
Education and Training: Doctoral degree Salary: Average—$62,207 per year Employment Outlook: Good Botanists are biological scientists who study plants. Their field, botany, is very broad. It encompasses the study of more than three hundred thousand species of plants ranging from ground-hugging mosses to giant redwood trees. In addition, there are many different ways to approach the study of…
Education and Training: College plus training Salary: Average—$64,416 per year Employment Outlook: Good Cable television engineers design, develop, and maintain wired cable television systems. Their main goal is to establish strong cable reception with minimal interference in a given service area. Some of these engineers introduce methods to improve the operation of existing cable systems a…
Education and Training: Bachelor's degree or higher Salary: Median—$67,110 per year Employment Outlook: Good Ceramic engineers are specialized materials engineers who work with ceramics, which are nonmetallic, inorganic materials that are processed at high temperatures. Glass, porcelain, brick, and cement are all examples of ceramics. Ceramic engineers develop new ceramic products as…
Education and Training: Bachelor's degree or higher Salary: Median—$76,770 per year Employment Outlook: Good Chemical engineers work in the production of chemicals and many other products that require chemical processing. They use the theories and laws of chemistry to develop industrial chemical processes. They generally build on the findings of research chemists, who work with small…
Education and Training: Master's or doctoral degree Salary: Median—$56,060 per year Employment Outlook: Fair Chemists are scientists who study the makeup of substances and the changes that they undergo. They often work in teams with other chemists, chemical engineers, and chemical technicians. Chemists work for private companies in a variety of industries. They are employed in plants…
Education and Training: Master's or doctoral degree Salary: Average—$53,160 per year Employment Outlook: Good Demographers study the makeup, distribution, and trends of populations. They also make observations about the causes and effects of population changes, such as increases in birth rates or immigration. Demographers collect statistical data, analyze the data to identify any tre…
Education and Training: Master's or doctoral degree Salary: Median—$72,780 per year Employment Outlook: Fair Economists study the ways that society uses limited resources, such as land, water, raw materials, and human labor, to satisfy their needs and wants. They are social scientists who have expert knowledge about systems that produce, distribute, and use goods and services. Econom…
Education and Training: Bachelor's degree or higher Salary: Median—$71,610 to $75,770 per year Employment Outlook: Good Electrical and electronics engineers are concerned with the production and use of electricity. They are members of the largest branch of engineering. The focus of electrical engineers is on the generation and supply of power, and the focus of electronics engineers i…
Education and Training: Doctoral degree Salary: Median—$51,200 per year Employment Outlook: Good Entomologists are biological scientists who study insects. There are nearly a million known species of insects, and thousands of new species are discovered every year. Insects make up over three-quarters of all the species of animals. All insects play roles in ecosystems. Some roles are benefici…
Education and Training: Master's or doctoral degree Salary: $40,000 to $72,000 per year Employment Outlook: Very good Ergonomists, also known as human factors engineers, assist in the design of machines, tools, and other equipment to ensure that they can be used easily and correctly. The widespread use of computers has created a large demand for ergonomists to make office and home computer …
Education and Training: Bachelor's degree or higher Salary: Median—$80,000 to$100,000 per year Employment Outlook: Very good Fire protection engineers are experts who save lives and money by preventing fires and reducing the danger when fires do break out. They provide advice that helps people to safely design buildings and products, prevent fires, and extinguish or escape from fires…
Education and Training: Bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree Salary: Varies—see profile Employment Outlook: Good Forensic scientists gather and evaluate evidence from the victims, vehicles, and scenes of crimes. They analyze the data scientifically, and their findings may help to convict or prove the innocence of a person accused of a crime. Forensic scientists are sometim…
Education and Training: Doctoral degree Salary: Median—$65,110 per year Employment Outlook: Very good Genetic engineering research scientists, or biotechnologists, manipulate and modify the genes, or hereditary makeup, of microorganisms, plants, and animals. They are specialists in the field of genetics and conduct research in a broad range of biological sciences including biochemistry, bot…
Education and Training: Doctoral degree Salary: Median—$44,490 per year Employment Outlook: Fair Historians study events, ideas, institutions, and individuals of the past. They may research and interpret events that occurred in the earliest periods of recorded time or ones that people can remember. Unlike archaeologists, who work chiefly with physical objects, historians rely mostly on writ…
Education and Training: Bachelor's degree Salary: Median—$69,103 per year Employment Outlook: Good Industrial hygienists are occupational health and safety specialists concerned with the maintenance of good health among industrial workers. They attempt to prevent occupational diseases among employees and minimize environmental health hazards in the workplace. They are trained to anti…
Education and Training: Bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree Salary: Varies—see profile Employment Outlook: Good Linguists study and explore all aspects of ancient and modern languages. They use scientific techniques to work with meanings, sounds, and origins of spoken and written words. Lexicographers compile definitions into dictionaries. Etymologists study the origin an…
Education and Training: Master's or doctoral degree Salary: Median—$81,240 per year Employment Outlook: Poor Mathematics is the study of the measurement, properties, and relationships of quantities and sets, using numbers and symbols. Mathematicians use tools such as mathematical theory, well-defined procedures called algorithms, and the latest computer technology to solve economic, …
Education and Training: Bachelor's degree or higher Salary: Median—$66,320 per year Employment Outlook: Good Mechanical engineers work with many kinds of machines that produce, transmit, or use power. They are concerned with mechanisms and methods that convert natural energy sources into practical uses. Mechanical engineers also design tools that other engineers need. They often work…
Education and Training: Bachelor's degree or higher Salary: Median—$67,110 per year Employment Outlook: Fair Metallurgical engineers develop ways of processing metals and converting them into useful products. Metallurgy, the science of metals, is one of the materials sciences. Other materials sciences include physical metallurgy, ceramics, and polymer chemistry, or plastics. Metallur…
Education and Training: Doctoral degree Salary: Median—$54,840 per year Employment Outlook: Good Microbiologists are biological scientists who study organisms so small that, generally, they can only be seen with a microscope. These microorganisms include bacteria, algae, yeasts, fungi, protozoa, viruses, and other microscopic forms of life. Microbiologists isolate and make cultures of micro…
Education and Training: Bachelor's or master's degree Salary: Median—$75,770 per year Employment Outlook: Very good Microwave engineers are electronics engineers who specialize in designing, manufacturing, testing, and installing electronic components and systems used to transmit and receive microwave, or short radio wave, signals. A wide variety of devices use microwave signa…
Education and Training: Bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree Salary: Median—$84,880 per year Employment Outlook: Fair Nuclear engineers use their knowledge about nuclear energy to solve engineering problems. Their work allows for the practical application of many discoveries by nuclear physicists and other scientists. Nuclear engineers have knowledge of the processes that …
Education and Training: Doctoral degree Salary: Varies—see profile Employment Outlook: Very good Pathologists are biological or medical scientists who study the nature, causes, and effects of disease in plant and animal life. Pathology is a broad field that concentrates on the changes in organs, tissues, and cells that are caused by disease. Pathologists work in hospitals, medical laborator…
Education and Training: Bachelor's degree or higher Salary: Varies—see profile Employment Outlook: Excellent Photonics engineers work in the design, production, and use of laser and fiber optics technology. The job title comes from the word "photon," which is a unit of light. Photonics is the science of using light to generate energy, detect information, or transmit inf…
Education and Training: Doctoral degree Salary: Median—$87,450 per year Employment Outlook: Fair Physicists are scientists who investigate motion and gravity, the behavior of gases, the structure and behavior of matter, the generation and transfer of energy, and the interaction between matter and energy. They identify basic forces and laws of nature. Theoretical physicists investigate these…
Education and Training: Master's or doctoral degree Salary: Median—$86,750 per year Employment Outlook: Fair Political scientists are social scientists who study government and politics. They analyze many areas of political behavior, including voting, public opinion, taxation, and public administration. Knowledgeable in different forms of government that have existed throughout histo…
Education and Training: Master's or doctoral degree Salary: $50,000 to $60,000 per year Employment Outlook: Very good Robotics engineers work in the science of robotics, or flexible automation. Most robots are "manipulators"—machines devised to function in place of a human. Some robots function as "walking" machines, or teleoperators, using remote control …
Education and Training: Bachelor's degree Salary: Median—$63,730 per year Employment Outlook: Good Safety engineers are responsible for keeping people free from danger, risk, or injury in the workplace. They develop safety programs to minimize losses due to injuries and property damage. They try to eliminate unsafe practices and conditions in industrial plants, mines, and stores as w…
Education and Training: Doctoral degree Salary: Median—$57,870 per year Employment Outlook: Fair Sociologists are social scientists who study groups of people. These groups range from families and tribes to entire communities and even whole nations. Sociologists analyze ethnic and religious groups and political and business organizations. They also focus on the behavior of group members and…
Education and Training: Bachelor's or master's degree Salary: Mean—$74,140 per year Employment Outlook: Good Systems engineers design and coordinate large and complex projects known as systems. There are many kinds of systems, and although all are large, they vary in their complexity. A system has many parts that all interact extensively with one another. Often small systems c…
Education and Training: College Salary: Median—$65,130 per year Employment Outlook: Excellent The boom in telecommunications technology has created a strong demand for specialists in the field to help companies choose the telephone, video, and data communications equipment best suited to their needs. Telecommunications consultants, also referred to as telecommunications specialists when emp…
Education and Training: Varies—see profile Salary: Median—$50,846 per year Employment Outlook: Fair Telecommunications design engineers solve technical telecommunications problems. Their understanding of telecommunications equipment allows them to analyze quickly where and why service is interrupted. Once these engineers know what the trouble is, repair workers can be sent out to fix…
Education and Training: Doctoral degree Salary: Median—$50,330 per year Employment Outlook: Good Zoologists are biological scientists who study animals. They observe animals both in their natural habitats and in the laboratory in order to learn as much as possible about animal life. Zoologists study the origin and development of animal species, the habits and behavior of animals, and the in…
