What are the top science job salaries and resources available?

Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around entry-level salaries for various science and engineering jobs, including physicists, mathematicians, astronomers, and engineers. Participants share resources for salary information and express their views on the accuracy and implications of these figures, as well as the factors influencing salaries in different regions and fields.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Technical explanation, Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants provide links to salary data for various science and engineering roles, emphasizing that the figures are national averages for entry-level positions.
  • There is a discussion about the average salary for astronomers, with some expressing surprise at the reported figure of $100k and questioning its accuracy due to potential misrepresentation in salary surveys.
  • Concerns are raised about the reliability of salary statistics, particularly for astronomers, due to the small sample size of data points.
  • Participants discuss regional salary differences, noting that a salary of $60,000 in one city may not equate to the same lifestyle as a $100,000 salary in another city, highlighting the importance of cost of living in salary comparisons.
  • Some participants advocate for the Bureau of Labor Statistics as a more reliable resource for job outlook and salary data compared to other sources.
  • There are differing opinions on the entry barriers and salary expectations in data science, with some suggesting that salaries can be inflated and that actual earnings may vary significantly based on location and experience.
  • One participant shares their personal experience in data science, indicating a salary of $57k in North Carolina, which they feel is competitive when adjusted for cost of living compared to Washington D.C.
  • Another participant mentions a shift in educational programs, noting that a university replaced its computer science degree with a combined actuarial science and data science degree, suggesting good job prospects in that area.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a mix of agreement and disagreement regarding the accuracy of salary figures and the factors influencing them. There is no consensus on the reliability of the data sources or the implications of the reported salaries.

Contextual Notes

Participants highlight limitations in the data, including the dependence on geographic location, the entry-level nature of the statistics, and the variability in job roles and responsibilities that can affect salary outcomes.

Messages
19,881
Reaction score
10,890
Physics news on Phys.org
Wow. So astronomers make 100k con average?
 
Krandor said:
Wow. So astronomers make 100k con average?
Sounds pretty sweet right! Time to study up!
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: Thejas15101998
60K for experienced electrical engineers? Where do I find those? We pay over $100k for anyone with more than a few years experience.
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: physnut and davidbenari
Krandor said:
Wow. So astronomers make 100k con average?
That's incredible... Anyone in the field have insight as to why that is so high comparatively? I've seen some pretty shocking cases of misrepresentation in salary surveys before, so I can't help but wonder..
 
Note that statistic is about people employed as astronomers, not people with astronomy degrees. Most people with astronomy degrees don't become astronomers.
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: physnut
If you look at the "statistics" tab, you will see that they have very little data for astronomers (compared to physicists). Small numbers of data points means large fluctuations in those points.
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: davidbenari
MathAmateur said:
60K for experienced electrical engineers? Where do I find those? We pay over $100k for anyone with more than a few years experience.

It says for Electrical Engineer 1, which basically means relative beginner.

Also keep in mind that a salary that is $60,000 in Cleveland may be the same as a $100,000 salary in New York city. (Same $800 apartment in Cleveland could cost $3,000 per month in New York City)
In other words, you can have identical life styles with two different salaries comparing two different states.
Noting the cost to live in your city is vital when comparing two different salaries from two different states.

The links above give the median average across the USA which can be misleading.
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: Klystron, StrangeCharm, Jaeusm and 2 others
  • #10
very true, the whole point of salary.com is to use the zip code feature
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: Greg Bernhardt
  • #11
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #12
Is this before or after taxes?
 
  • #14
It also depends on demand at the time. I did a double degree in Math and Computer Science back in 1982. I could have gone into math or CS. Was head hunted in computing so decided on that. Starting salaries were about the same - (this is Australia) at about $60k in today's terms. But computing was exploding and I was a Team Leader/Senior Programmer in 3 years at, in today's terms about $120k. That's in the government BTW - you earn less but get better conditions eg larger amounts paid into super. Contractors earn quite a bit more but getting and keeping a job is variable.

Thanks
Bill
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: JD_PM
  • #15
Data science is hard to get into, in my opinion. You need a good amount of experience and expertise. There are a few entry level data science job posts that I've run into that offer training and require 0 experience, but they are not super common. Data analytic jobs usually have lower standards, and consequently pay much less, but not always.

These salary stats always seem inflated to me. I was able to make 75k with a master's degree, but a lot of that was due to random luck, and I was also living near Washington D.C. I think around 40-60k in a moderately priced area is likely. The stats are just over the high end of my estimation.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: devsgdm
  • #16
Well, I got a job in data science but it's related to actual science research and not like stock trading, insurance or banking. So, the salary isn't what you'd expect a data scientist to make, but I'm happy with it. Salary is 57k in North Carolina, which comes out to roughly equivalent to 75k in D.C., except I can afford a much nicer apartment.
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: bhobba
  • #17
Zap said:
Well, I got a job in data science but it's related to actual science research apartment.

A university down the road, Bond University, stopped its computer science degree and replaced it with a combined actuarial science - data science degree. You do not have to take data analytics as the second major, but they highly recommend it.:
https://bond.edu.au/program/bachelor-actuarial-science

Evidently very good job prospects.

Thanks
Bill
 

Similar threads

  • · Replies 12 ·
Replies
12
Views
4K
  • · Replies 12 ·
Replies
12
Views
27K
  • · Replies 13 ·
Replies
13
Views
5K
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
4K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
3K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
2K
  • · Replies 17 ·
Replies
17
Views
3K
  • · Replies 0 ·
Replies
0
Views
1K
  • · Replies 9 ·
Replies
9
Views
2K
  • · Replies 11 ·
Replies
11
Views
2K