Also called: Planetary Scientist
Studies the rocks, volcanoes, craters, and landscapes of other planets and moons.
You pore over rover photos of a Martian cliff, map the rock layers, and argue with colleagues about whether water carved them. Some summers you do fieldwork in Iceland or Hawaii because they look like Mars.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Doctorate (PhD), about 10 years after high school. PhD in geology or planetary science.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Geology, Planetary Science, Earth Science.
Growing about average (about 3% over 10 years). Uses BLS geoscientists projection.
Low risk in 5 years, medium in 10. AI maps craters and minerals from orbital images automatically; interpreting landscapes and fieldwork stay human.
Classes: Earth science, AP Chemistry, AP Physics, AP Calculus.
Official data: O*NET occupation 19-2042.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.