Career: Science Technicians
When you think of science, do you imagine a complex chemistry experiment complete with test tubes, beakers, and flasks? Or maybe you see a large radio telescope, scanning the sky for signs of alien intelligence.
Science technicians maintain complicated instruments like these and make sure that experiments run smoothly.
Science technicians focus on the practical matters of scientific experimentation and research. They maintain equipment and instruments, record data, and help scientists calculate results and draw conclusions.
Did You Know?
- Science technicians master the equipment in a lab so that they can tell when something’s not working and make the proper adjustments.
Are You Ready To...?
- Work in a laboratory
- Write reports
- Work with radioactive materials, disease-causing bacteria, or dangerous chemicals
- Occasionally work odd hours when monitoring an experiment
It Helps to Be...
Someone who is interested not just in scientific theories but also in the way science is conducted. If you like working with equipment and keeping things in order, this may be the job for you.
Make High School Count
- Take as many courses in math and science as you can.
- Choose college-preparatory courses, since employers prefer to hire technicians with at least a two-year college degree.
- Sign up for computer courses. You’ll be using computers along with sophisticated lab equipment.
- Compete in a science fair.
Did You Know?
- Science technicians work in research labs, but also in industries like manufacturing and food processing.
Outlook
Job growth in this field depends on a technician’s specialization. Jobs for biological technicians should grow faster than the average for all other jobs through 2016, according to government economists. Forensic science technicians and environmental science and protection technicians should see growth that is much faster than average. Geological and petroleum technicians,and agricultural and food science technicians should see average growth. Chemical technicians should see slower-than-average growth.
Compensation
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates the average salaries of selected science technicians in 2008:
- Nuclear technicians: $66,910
- Geological and petroleum technicians: $57,080
- Forensic-science technicians: $52,960
- Chemical technicians: $43,710
- Environmental-science and -protection technicians, including health: $43,180
- Biological technicians: $40,900
- Agricultural- and food-science technicians: $36,470
