Careers in Natural Sciences

Geology or Earth Science fields are the set of careers and jobs that deal with the Earth.

Earth Sciences are very diverse and there are many fields to choose from – weather, ocean studies, volcanic studies – the list is very long.

These are some fields that have to do with Earth sciences.

Petroleum GeologistPetroleum geologists work for companies that make oil. Their job is to locate and explore areas where there may be stores of natural oil underground.

Petroleum geologists use a variety of equipment and technologies to do their job.

Salary:$75,000 - $130,000 per yearEducation:Bachelor’s of Science in Geology to get in – Masters to move up.

Benefits:• Very good pay• Travel• Lots of technology usage

More than 25,000 geoscientists work for the petroleum industries. They are petroleum geologists, geophysicists, sedimentologists, and engineering geologists working in the United States, Africa, South America, Canada, Mexico, North Sea, Middle East and elsewhere in the world. They do subsurface mapping, make stratigraphic correlation, use computers, and acquire seismic, gravity, and magnetic data to locate favorable host rocks for oil and gas. They work on land or off-shore and

may travel extensively to explore unknown areas.

Oceanographer

Oceanographers study the oceans and their various aspects: chemistry, biology, geology, etc.

Oceanographers cover a diverse range of studies on the Earth’s water – from the Arctic to the Tropics.

Salary:

$35,000 - $75,000 per year

Education:

Bachelor’s of Science in Geology to get in – Masters to move up.

Benefits:

• Travel

• Lots of time at the beach!

•On the fore-front of current environmental issues.

Park Ranger

Park Rangers are employed by the government. They act as police officers within national and state parks. Park Ranger is the perfect cross between an environmental job and law enforcement. These men and women are specialized police officers whose job it is to both protect park visitors, campers and hikers, but also to protect the ecology and overall environment of the parks.

Salary:

$35,000 - $115,000 per year

Education:

60 Credit Hours, especially in environmental sciences

Civil Service test and police academy.

Benefits:

• Work alone (if you like that)

• Spend a lot of time outdoors in beautiful areas

• Slow winter season!

Volcanologists

Volcanologists study volcanoes and volcanic processes both to learn and to protect people by issuing warnings and restrictions.

Salary:

$35,000 - $90,000 per year

Education:

Bachelors of Science in geology, and then masters degree to move up.

Benefits:

• Travel!

• Exciting / dangerous work

• Spend lots of time outdoors

Earth Science or Geology Teacher / Professor

Earth science teachers or professors teach about the Earth and Environment at levels from middle school right up through the university. They are responsible for educating young people about the Earth and its processes, and for helping students develop and find careers in the geosciences.

Science teachers are very hard to come by right now in high schools and have a much better chance of finding work. Professors at the university are highly respected and get the opportunity to do research and publish their work.

Salary:

$25,000 - $85,000 per year (teachers)

$25,000 - $50,000 per year (professors)

Education:

Bachelors degree in Education / Earth Science and eventually masters degree. For professors – B.S. in geology and masters / PhD.

Benefits:

• Get to study the Earth all the time (cool!)

• Live in an academic setting

• Exceptionally rewarding field.

• Possibility of gaining notoriety through publishing.

• Summers off!!

Meteorologist

Meteorologists study the weather on the Earth. Of course you are all familiar with the men and women on TV, but meteorologists are much more. The National Weather Service employs these scientists to study the weather and predict / report to the public. They use advanced equipment and technology.

Salary:

$60,000 - $110,000 per year

Education:

Bachelors of Science in geology, and then masters degree to move up.

Benefits:

• Constantly changing job environment

• Lots of team-work

• Interesting field and cool technologies.

Biology or biological science fields are the set of careers and jobs that deal with the living things.

Biological science are also very diverse and there are many fields to choose from – medicine, laboratory work, agriculture… The following are fields that have to do with biology.

NursingNurses assist in the care of patients in many different settings. Nurses work in private homes, doctors offices, emergency rooms, critical care / trauma floors at hospitals, and even on air-medical transport vehicles.

Flight nurses care for patient in air and helicopter transport situations. They treat on-scene trauma patients with paramedics as well as long-range med / surgical patients being transported for care.

Intensive care (ICU) nurses provide close-up and rigorous care for unstable patients who have had serious illnesses, injuries or surgery.

This is a fast-paced job.

Also fast-paced is the life of an ER nurse. These men and women see everything from cuts and bruises to cardiac arrests and shootings.

Home nurses travel to patients homes and take care of them there – administering medications, checking vital signs and generally making sure the patients are in good shape.

This is a job where you will get very close with elderly people – in many situations you are the only one coming to visit! It can be very rewarding, and is slow-paced.

Practice nurses work in doctor’s offices and provide assistance to the doctor. They record vital signs, work with charts and records, schedule appointments and discuss medical problems with patients both in the office and via telephone.

This is a faster-paced job, but generally not one where there is a lot of serious medical action.

Salary:

$40,000- $70,000 per year

Education:

RN (2 years) or Bachelors of Nursing (4-years) – Salary increases with education.

Benefits:

• Flexibility of schedule.

• Lots of team-work

• Rewarding dealing with patients

•Can work in a variety of different settings.

Doctors care for the ill and injured. They encompass a vast array of fields and most are highly specialized to a certain area.

Just a few of the areas doctors specialize are:

Cardiology (heart)

Oncology (cancer treatment)

Trauma (serious injury)

Surgery

Obstetrics / Gynecology

Orthopedic (bones)

Radiology (scans / x-rays)****

Physician / Doctor

Salary:

$150,000 - $500,000 per year (up to $1,000,000 for highly specialized, highly skilled doctors.

Education:

Pre-med / biology: Bachelors of Science (4 years)

Medical School (3 to 4 years)

Benefits:

• High Pay

• Prestige

• Rewarding dealing with patients

• Can work in a variety of different settings.

ZoologistZoologists study a variety of animals and their lifestyles.

They are found all over the globe and often specialize in specific regions or specific animals. Lions and tigers and bears – oh my!

Zoologists work through public zoos, through universities or on their own. They often become “teachers” and many have been seen on television and movies.

Salary:

$30,000 - $70,000 per year

$Education:

Bachelors in Zoology, Masters and or Doctorate to find higher paying jobs.

Benefits:

• Get to work with animals

• Travel / seeing many different places

• Can work in a variety of different settings

• Possibility of publishing / lecturing / getting on TV!

Bioethics

Professionals in bioethics are like modern philosophers. They grapple with questions that come up in everyday medicine. Who should get treatment? Who should not? How can we decide which of 3 patients gets the transplant heart?

Most major medical institutions and medical colleges have bioethics committees.

They make procedures and policies for doctors to follow.

Salary:

$30,000 - $80,000 per year

Education:

At least 4-year degree.. Multi-disciplinary (science, medicine, philosophy, etc.)

More education commands higher salary.

Benefits:

• Not a main-stream field

• Ability to set polices for the way medicine works

• Can work in a variety of different settings

•Exposure to many interesting thinkers!

http://facweb.furman.edu/~jsnyder/careers/careerlist.html