What Jobs Are Growing in the Science Industry?
Posted June 24th, 2019
Over recent years, STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education has increasingly been touted as a priority in the United States. These industries are critical for economic growth and scientific advancement and innovation. Additionally, some of the professions in these fields can come with lucrative salaries, making them enticing to those looking for viable careers.
However, while STEM, in general, is a primary focus on the education front, not all career opportunities across these industries are as strong as others. Similarly, salaries can vary in the STEM field, and not all positions have the same potential as their brethren.
If you are wondering which jobs are growing in the science industry, here’s what you need to know.
Highest Paying Science College Majors
Often, higher pay is a sign of growth in a field. Companies offer more to entice recent college graduates to work for their organization. However, larger salaries could also be indicative of a shortage in qualified workers. While there may not be much growth in these cases, that doesn’t mean there isn’t a ton of potential to have a strong and lucrative career, partially based on there being fewer qualified candidates and higher competition for those job seekers between employers.
On the scientific side, biotechnology and biochemistry offer the highest median base salaries during the first five years, coming in at $48,442 and $46,406, respectively. However, there are outdone by science-adjacent majors, such as chemical and biomedical engineering, both of which have engineering and scientific components, with salaries of $65,000 and $57,200, respectively.
In the world of STEM, computer science and engineering – with is classified as a technology major and not a scientific one – outperforms them all. For college graduates with that major, the median base salary is $70,000.
What STEM Fields Have the Most Potential
To put it simply, computer-based skills are garnering the most attention and experience increasing demand. Traditional sciences, like physical and life sciences, aren’t as in-demand by comparison.
In today’s highly digital world, data scientists, artificial intelligence programmers, IT security professionals, cloud computing specialists, and similar tech-based professionals will have an easier time finding opportunities that align with their major, and over half of all computer science graduates end up working in their field.
In comparison, only 17 percent of physical science majors work in their field. For life science majors, it’s only 13 percent.
Now, this doesn’t mean a career in traditional sciences is impossible, just that the number of opportunities that exist may not match your expectations. Outside of the biochemistry, biophysics, and biotechnology – all of which have faster than average job growth expectations, coming in at the 10 percent or 11 percent marks – most other traditional science roles are only growing at an average rate.
Need Help With Your Career? Reach Out to Bayside Solutions!
By focusing your career in a higher growth arena, you may have greater luck working in the scientific industry. If you’d like to know more, the team at Bayside Solutions can help. Contact us to speak with one of our recruiters today and see how our science industry expertise can benefit you.
