11 Hand-picked Biology Jobs (These are On the Rise!)

Those that enjoy math and science may find a job in the biology realm challenging and rewarding.

Most of these careers require a degree, but in most cases, the pay is high enough to offset the investment in college classes.

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1. Biochemist

Biochemist

Why Become a Biochemist?

Biochemists are biological scientists that specialize in the chemical composition of organic materials.

Job Responsibilities:

  • Manage laboratory teams
  • Plan and conduct research projects
  • Analyzing molecules
  • Prepare technical reports

Career Outlook:

The median salary for a biochemist is around $93,000, though it can go up to $178,000 depending on job and education.

According to BLS, the job market is expected to grow by 11.4% until at least 2026, this is faster than the national average.

Biochemist Key Stats
Avg. Salary / year $113,460
Avg. Pay / hour $54.55
Education 4+ Years
Outlook 11.4%

2. Environmental Scientist

Environmental Scientist

Why Become an Environmental Scientist?

Environmental Scientists use their knowledge in a wide variety of ways including in the study of oceanography, geophysics, meteorology, and information sciences.

Job Responsibilities:

  • Provide scientific proof for new laws and regulations
  • Research environmentally hazardous accidents
  • Data collection
  • Assess effects of developing projects

Career Outlook:

An environmental scientist can make around $51,000 per year.

Those just starting their career may make around $39,000 those on the top of the scale make around $77,000 annually.

Between 2012 and 2022, the environmental scientist job market is expected to grow by 15%, which is faster than the national average.

Environmental Scientist Key Stats
Avg. Salary / year $81,240
Avg. Pay / hour $39.06
Education 4+ Years
Outlook 15%

3. Forensic Scientist

Forensic Scientist

Why Become a Forensic Scientist?

Forensic scientists play an important role in law enforcement.

Those that like science and medicine often pair the two together and become forensic scientists.

Job Responsibilities:

  • Collecting samples from crime and murders scenes
  • Analyzing blood splatter or gun residue
  • Analyzing samples in a lab
  • Preparing reports
  • Communicating with law enforcement officers
  • Communicating with coworkers

Career Outlook:

A forensic scientist generally makes around $50,000.

Those starting out can earn around $40,000, others that have been on the job for a long period may reach about $80,000.

The job outlook looks to grow by 14% through 2028.

Forensic Scientist Key Stats
Avg. Salary / year $66,850
Avg. Pay / hour $32.14
Education 4+ Years
Outlook 14%

4. Biologist

Biologist

Why Become a Biologist?

Biologist spends their time observing and researching organisms and wildlife.

Job Responsibilities:

  • Have a keen understanding of animals and plants in their natural environment
  • Research industries like environmental preservation conservation, and medicine
  • Understand how living organisms live and interact with their surroundings
  • Study samples under the microscope

Career Outlook:

According to BLS, the median salary for a biologist is around $63,350.

The job outlook is expected to increase by around 5%, which is lower than the employment average.

Biologist Key Stats
Avg. Salary / year $93,970
Avg. Pay / hour $45.18
Education 4+ Years
Outlook 9%

5. Ecologist

Ecologist

Why Become an Ecologist?

An ecologist studies the relationship between ecosystems, nature and applies these findings to a variety of applications.

Job Responsibilities:

  • Collect and analyze data
  • Maintain and calibrate instruments
  • Examine ecological processes

Career Outlook:

Ecologists have a median salary of $51,000 per year, with a high of around$78,00 for those with considerable experience.

The job outlook expects to increase by 11% until at least 2026.

Ecologist Key Stats
Avg. Salary / year $81,240
Avg. Pay / hour $39.06
Education 4+ Years
Outlook 11%

6. Geographer

Geographer

Why Become a Geographer?

Geographers use their knowledge to study our planet, the land, and its’ inhabitants.

Job Responsibilities:

  • Use quantitative methods to help with research
  • Gather geographic data
  • Analyze the geographic distribution of physical/cultural characteristics
  • Write reports on findings

Career Outlook:

The median salary for a geographer is around $80,000 per year.

This is 13.3% more growth than most jobs. This is expected to remain at this level until around 2026.

Geographer Key Stats
Avg. Salary / year $86,740
Avg. Pay / hour $41.70
Education 4+ Years
Outlook 13.3%

7. Genetic Counselor

Genetic Counselor

Why Become a Genetic Counselor?

Genetic counseling is a growing career, they study the likelihood of whether a family’s genetic risks can be passed down to future generations.

Job Responsibilities:

  • Study possible inherited diseases
  • Help patients determine if certain health issues are genetic
  • Provide information and emotional support to patients
  • Provide advice for prenatal and pediatric outlooks
  • Works with cancer patients and neurological diseases

Career Outlook:

The median salary for a genetic counselor was $85,700 in 2020.

According to BLS, the need for genetic counselors is anticipated to grow 26% until 2030. This is much faster than average.

Genetic Counselor Key Stats
Avg. Salary / year $86,640
Avg. Pay / hour $41.65
Education 4+ Years
Outlook 27%

8. Physical Therapist

Physical Therapist

Why Become a Physical Therapist?

Physical therapists work with clients that have issues with movement due to age, illness, or injury.

Job Responsibilities:

  • Meet with clients
  • Review medical records and x-rays
  • Perform tests on movement and strength
  • Develop treatment plans

Career Outlook:

Physical therapists earn a median wage of $72,000 per year; this is 22% higher than average.

Physical Therapist Key Stats
Avg. Salary / year $92,920
Avg. Pay / hour $44.67
Education 3-4 Years
Outlook 22%

9. Nurse Practitioner

Nurse Practitioner

Why Become a Nurse Practitioner?

A nurse practitioner works with patients to assess and diagnose different types of illnesses.

Job Responsibilities:

  • Works with physicians on patient care
  • Provides primary care and urgent care services
  • May order, review and assess tests and report to physicians
  • May suggest dietary and other lifestyle changes to improve health

Career Outlook:

There is a great need for nurse practitioners as our population gets older.

Today, the median salary for a nurse practitioner is around $117,670.

The projected increase in jobs is 45% higher than most careers through 2030.

Nurse Practitioner Key Stats
Avg. Salary / year $118,040
Avg. Pay / hour $56.75
Education 1-2 Years
Outlook 26%

10. Biomedical Engineer

Biomedical Engineer

Why Become a Biomedical Engineer?

Biomedical engineers combine math and science to improve patient care when receiving health care services.

Job Responsibilities:

  • Designing instruments and devices to improve healthcare
  • Delivering technical support for biomedical devices
  • They create new technologies in the medical industry
  • They will train clinicians and other healthcare personnel on how to use equipment

Job Outlook:

According to BLS, the median wage for a biomedical engineer is around $92,620.

It is expected to grow about 6% until 2030, this is about average.

Biomedical Engineer Key Stats
Avg. Salary / year $101,020
Avg. Pay / hour $48.57
Education 4+ Years
Outlook 4%

11. Bioinformatics Engineer

Bioinformatics Engineer

Why Become a Bioinformatics Engineer?

Going into this field will need to learn a wealth of information about engineering, information technology, biology, and computer science.

Job Responsibilities:

  • The development of bioinformatics methods and algorithms for genomic data generation and analysis
  • Incorporate bioinformatics tools to aid in the delivery of efficient and automated pipelines for analysis
  • Create and track the quality metrics for sequencing and variant detection
  • Assist with the development of projects and plans

Career Outlook:

On average a bioinformatics engineer can expect to make about $97,090.

The outlook for this is career is 16% growth over average.

Bioinformatics Engineer Key Stats
Avg. Salary / year $101,020
Avg. Pay / hour $48.57
Education 4+ Years
Outlook 16%

Jamie Willis
Career Specialist at BecomeopediaHi, my name is Jamie Willis, and I have been helping students find their perfect internships and education paths for the last ten years. It is a passion of mine, and there really is nothing better than seeing students of mine succeed with further studies.

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