Not all science careers involve microscopes, Petri dishes, conical flasks, and test tubes. If you love science — whether you like working in a lab or not — there are many career options out there that will suit you.
To qualify for a science career, you must have studied or plan to study either physical or life sciences. Physical sciences deal with the study of non-living matter. They include geology, astronomy, chemistry, and physics.
Life sciences deal with the study of living organisms. They include subjects like ecology, zoology, microbiology, biochemistry, and biology. Searching for “science jobs near me?”
Here are high-paying jobs in the science field, as well as alternative jobs you may qualify for.
Communication and Outreach
If you choose a career in communication and outreach, you’ll be sharing scientific information and knowledge with non-experts, and presenting or explaining it in a way that’s easy to understand. This field covers a variety of jobs, which include:
- An event manager: You’ll organize science-related festivals or events for students, businesses, or the general public
- A museum education officer: You can work in a museum or a science center explaining scientific concepts/terms to visitors
- A science journalist or writer: You can work with a media company writing science-related news for the consumption of the general public
The government can also contract you to visit universities and schools to promote science-related activities and subjects. You could also present scientific findings to the government at a fee. Valuable experience includes:
- Joining university science clubs
- Writing for university publications
- Entering writing competitions
- Volunteering at science museums
Even better, you can consider pursuing a career in public relations and a master’s degree in a science-related field, like science communication.
Consultancy
If you are looking for a career outside of research, then being a consultant might be the best option for you. Management consulting allows you to apply your analytical skills and scientific knowledge in solving clients’ problems.
Through consultancy, you can help companies improve the efficiency of their manufacturing processes or help them improve the quality of their product. To be a successful consultant, you’ll need a degree in either economics or business in addition to your science or engineering degree.
With consultancy, you won’t need to search for “science jobs near me” because you can start your own consultancy firm!
Science Policy
As a policy worker, you’ll be employed in a variety of settings including private and public sectors. You’ll use your knowledge to inform and assist in policy formulation, especially those that touch on matters to do with science, such as life sciences recruitment, among others.
Typical employers include:
- Government departments
- Charities
- Public sector organizations
- Scientific professional bodies
- Non-governmental organizations
- Trade associations
You will be involved in analyzing and identifying policy issues, drafting reports, writing briefing papers, and collecting information on scientific issues. To get this kind of job, you may need a postgraduate qualification in policy studies, social politics, or politics in general.
Administration and Funding
If you don’t like working in the lab and are interested in the latest scientific developments, working in a science administration and funding office can suit you well. You can work with research councils or major funding bodies.
The work here involves using your scientific knowledge to support others in their research work, and your other duties may include advising funding applicants and administering grant applications.
Patent Law and Intellectual Property
If you are a scientist who has an interest in law, you may consider a career as a trademark attorney, solicitor, patent examiner, or patent attorney. Examiner and patent attorney roles are particularly suited for those with a science degree.
As a patent attorney, your duty will be to assess whether inventions are eligible to be patented — eligible innovations must be new and innovative. A degree in technical, engineering, mathematics or any science-based subject is a requirement to get this job.
If you decide to be a patent examiner, you’ll use your legal and technical skills to assess applications for patents. This job requires a degree in engineering, science, a computer-based subject, or mathematics for entry.
If your interest is to work as a solicitor, you’ll work in areas such as environmental law and intellectual property.
Production and Manufacturing
The manufacturing and engineering industries offer many career options for those with a science degree. You could become a:
Nuclear Engineer
You’ll be designing, decommissioning, running, or building nuclear power stations. Physics and chemistry qualifications are necessary for this job. You’ll work in a multi-disciplinary team to solve technical problems.
Quality Manager
As a quality manager, your duty will be to ensure that the services and products offered by a company meet both internal and external requirements in terms of quality.
Product/Process Development Scientist
You can work in a manufacturing company to help the management understand and control the processes they use to make the final product. You can work across the industry on a range of products, such as medicines, foods, paints, and cosmetics.
You’ll need a degree in engineering or a course related to manufacturing.
Health and Safety Inspector
If you are an engineering or science graduate, you’ll be at a distinct advantage when entering this profession because it’s highly competitive. The work involves ensuring that workplace risks are properly controlled to protect people.
Other Science Jobs Near Me
If you are still searching for “science jobs near me,” there are many other jobs you can take as a graduate in a science-related course. Some of these include working as a:
- Medical sales representative
- Teacher/lecturer
- Biochemist or biophysicist
- Chemist
- Conservationist
- Environmental scientist
- Geoscientist
- Hydrologist
- Computational scientist
- Biomedical engineer
- Epidemiologist
- Geneticist
- Neuroscientist
- Food scientist
- Wildlife biologist
- Medical lab technologist
- Forensic science technician
- Oceanographer, etc.
As you can see, having a degree in a science-related course can open many doors for you. In fact, there are still many more careers in science that are not listed above.
Some of these jobs require a bachelor’s degree, while others may require higher degrees, like a master’s or Ph.D. If you need more tips on business, technology, and education, be sure to visit our blog.
