Featured Career in Science
Pilar Shortsleeve Pilar is working for the State of Utah in the Department of Public Safety as Supervising Criminalist at the Utah Bureau of Forensic Services. She supervises the Forensic Biology Section, which covers the areas of Serology and DNA analysis of forensic items. She has worked for the State’s Crime lab for 17 years in this section. During this time, she was instrumental in the development of the DNA program introducing 4 different ... more |
There are limitless carreer possibilities relating to the sciences. Everything from being a doctor, to an astronomer, to a farmer, to an engineer is going to require some knowledge in the sciences. Some of the major careers in the sciences fall in the following categories:
Medical:
There are literally hundreds of different options and career paths that can be followed in the medical world. Anything from being a doctor, dental hygienist, health educator, nutritianist, radiological technician, to a paramedic. All of these jobs are going to require a strong foundation in chemistry and biological sciences, as well as many years of education.
The demand for people working in the medical field will only increase over the next few decades. Reports show that there is a downward trend in people applying for medical schools, at the same time that there are more baby boomers retiring who will soon be in need of much health care. Jobs in the medical world are usually high paying and fulfilling jobs, but the downside is that long hours are often required especially in the early years of a medical career.
Medical Jobs:
- Family Doctor
- Nurse
- Surgeon
- Anesthesiologist
- Dentist
- Optometrist
- Radiologist
- Chiropractor
- EMT
- Physical Therapist
- Mental Health Counselor
- Nutritionist
- Medical technician
- Hygienist
Pharmaceuticals
Imagine developing a new drug to cure cancer, or minimize the effects of chemotherapy. Perhaps you can develop cheaper alternatives to cure diseases in third world countries. Perhaps you are looking for one of the highest paying jobs out there today. You will be able to find many different options and exciting career paths in the pharmaceutical industry. Everything from being a pharmacist, to a chemist (someone who tests drugs), to a microbiologist (those that perform tests on microorganisms and bacteria in the environment) can be found in this category.
Many of the jobs found in this area are very knowledge-intensive: They require many years of school, including graduate school and lots of time in labs to move up in the industry. There may be a lot of grunt work in the beginning but it will pay off in the end.
Pharmaceutical Jobs:
- Pharmacist
- Lab Assistant
- Chemist
- Drug Developer/Discoverer
- Drug Tester
Business
Would you like to become a great Business Entrepreneur and create innovative new products for the market? You might think that the best thing for you to get is a degree in business and an MBA. The truth is that to be a great entrepreneur you need to have a very diverse set of skills that extend beyond the fundamental business skills of marketing, financing, management and accounting.
Today strong, innovative businesses are created on a foundation of workers who excel in math and the sciences. To be an effective leader in these businesses one has to have the ability to understand the product he is promoting and be able to communicate to others what the product is and how it can be used in the market, whether it is in the medical world, engineering world, or simply a product to be used in the home.
Bill Gates' value came mostly from his knowledge of creating a useful computer operating system and software to go along with it, not because he had an exceptional business background. He didn't even graduate from college.
If you are thinking about going into business, it is definately worth your time to think about what type of business you would like to go into, and whuch science and math skills could help you really succeed in that field.
Science Related Business Jobs:
- Entrepreneur
- Inventor
- Human Resource Manager
- Developer
- Manager of a business
- Investor
Sports Science
Are you someone that just can't get enough of sports? Many of us love to play, watch, or simply be involved in some sort of physical activities. Why not do what you love to do and get paid for it? There are many employers that want professional sports therapists. Major universities, football and basketball teams, vacation resorts, and hotel chains are just a few of the areas in which you could find an active and fulfilling careeer.
Being successful in this field requires a thorough understanding of physics and the human body. How can professional athletes increase their performance? What types of food should they be eating? How many hours a day should a professional biker spend working out before it becomes counter productive? These are all questions that sport scientists and therapists need to be able to answer. Because of the amount of money that is found in the sporting world today, performance is extremely important and being able to enhance an athlete's performance by just a few split seconds could be the difference in large sums of money for both the athlete and the sponsor.
Sport Science Jobs:
- Coach
- Physical Therapist
- Message Therapist
- Physical Rehabilitation
- Nutritionist
- Sports Consultant
- Physical and Health Education (PE Teacher)
- Recreation Center Officer and Program Manager
- Respiratory Technician
Professor, Teacher, or Instructor
There are few professions who deserve more respect than those that are dedicated to increasing and spreading knowledge to others. A teaching job in the sciences can be particular interesting because it allows you to get involved with other students, and open up a new world to those you come in contact with. One of the nice things about being a science teacher is the amount of hands on learning that you can do. A history teacher will have to do most of his or her teaching straight out of text book, but a science teacher can be creative: A physics teacher can do experiments with rockets, build bridges, play with helium, a biology teacher can perform dissections in the lab and grow interesting and rare plants in the classroom, and a chemistry teacher can also spend much time in the lab teaching others about various chemical reactions and explosions.
The nice thing about being a Professor at a research university is that aside from teaching and instructing, one can also do research for the University. These can often mean more opportunities for additional income, and an opportunity to create innovative products that could be transformed into revenue generating businesses for the University or the private sector.
Instructor jobs:
- Biology Teacher/Professor
- Chemistry Teacher/Professor
- Physics Teacher/Professor
- Science Fair Coordinator
- College Professor/Researcher
- Anatomy Professor
- Life Science Teacher/Professor
Agricultural and Food Scientists
Most people give little thought to the amount of science that is needed to grow a field of tomatoes, or healthy milk producing cows. What kinds of foods should be given to plants and animals? What kind of weather conditions are ideal for certain types of crops?
A horticulturist will study everything from what type of pesticides to use, to how early crops should be picked so that they can be shipped and exported to other countries and arrive in the grocery store just in time to be eaten.
With a society that has become very conscious about the various types of food that they eat, there is sure to be an increase in demand for people that are able to grow and produce food that can support a growing population.
Agriculture and Food Science Jobs:
- Horticulturist
- Farmer
- Food Scientist
- Agronomist
Computer Science and Information Technology
There is absolutely no denying that the internet and computers have drastically changed the world in the last couple of years. The internet has been around for well over a decade now, but it has only been in the last couple of years that companies have started to realize how to effectively use the latest computer software and the distribution of information over the internet to their advantage.
There is hardly a company out there that couldn't benefit from a specific program taylered to meet the specific needs of their company. Perhaps it is a program that can help identify areas where costs can be cut. Perhaps it is in the development of a computer system that has the ability to search relevant medical records for a group of doctors that need very specific information. Perhaps it is nothing more than a creative website that involves costumers and has the ability to deliver products from the warehouse to the customer with the fewest amount of man hours.
There are also many jobs that involve the creation of new video games, and computer animation. A strong foundation in math and an extensive knowledge of various information systems are necessary to compete in these fields.
Computer Science and Information Technology
- Computer Programmer
- Computer technician
- Software Developer
- Graphic Designer
- Information System Specialist
- Computer Communications Specialist
- Research Analyst
- Computer Engineer
Manufacturing and Distribution
Have you ever wondered how all of those milk cartons in the grocery store are manufactured, filled with milk, and delivered to the store with time to spare before it goes bad? What about all of those goods at a major retail store. Where were they all produced, and through what means did it all get from the factory to the store shelves? How do stores determine whether they have too much of a product, or if they need to reorder? If a product takes multiple weeks to get to the store will there still be a demand for it by the time it arrives?
These are all questions that have to be answered by those that work in the manufacturing and distribution business.
Today businesses have to operate at economies of scale to survive. This means that they have to try to increase the amount of output (revenure) with the least amount of inputs (cost). They have to be able to do as much work as possible, in the least amount of time with as little people and resources as possible to stay competitive. The technology that allows for companies to ship and pack goods in an organized manner is very advanced and is of high value to the companies that are able to incorporate these technologies into their work routines.
Manufacturing and Distribution Jobs:
- Assembly Line Manager
- Distributor Coordinator
Engineering and Design
Have you ever thought about all of the many different things that we have in our lives to make life easier? Cell phones, microwaves, cars, an electric can opener, and race timers. What about bridges and new light rail trains that transport hundreds of people to work each day? There are so many different things that have become part of daily life, but had to be thought of, invented, designed, built and perfected through much trial and error to become useful tools of everyday life. Everything from the shoes on your feet, to the piping that gets water to your house, to the lawn mower that cuts your grass had to be designed by people who have a solid understanding of physics, chemistry, mathematics, and product design.
These careers are exciting, they are creative, and they have the potential of creating technological innovation that can spill over into all sectors of the economy and generate large amounts of income.
Jobs in these areas include Civil and structural engineers, architects, product designers, electrical engineers, even jobs that involve airplane manufacturing or careers with the military.
Engineering and Design Jobs:
- Architect
- Civil Engineer
- Mechanical Engineer
- Electrical Engineer
- Chemical Engineering
- Industrial Engineering
- Graphic Design
- Aerospace Engineering
- Agricultural Engineering
- Computer Engineering
- Mining Engineering
- Petroleum Engineering
- Traffic Engineering
- Automotive Design
- Software Developer
- New Product Development
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