Biologists: Salary, Job Description, How To Become One, and Quiz

Stan T.Career, Overview

Biologists

Biologists research or study basic principles of plant and animal life, such as origin, relationship, development, anatomy, and functions.

Salary
$104810
Becoming One
Very Hard
Education
Master's degree
Job Satisfaction
Job Growth

Personality
Interest Match



Job description

Biologists research or study basic principles of plant and animal life, such as origin, relationship, development, anatomy, and functions.

  • Prepare technical and research reports, such as environmental impact reports, and communicate the results to individuals in industry, government, or the general public.
  • Develop and maintain liaisons and effective working relations with groups and individuals, agencies, and the public to encourage cooperative management strategies or to develop information and interpret findings.
  • Collect and analyze biological data about relationships among and between organisms and their environment.
  • Program and use computers to store, process, and analyze data.
Read more about what does a Biologist really do at work and what is it like being and working as one.



Salary

Average salary
$86390 per year

Average hourly wage
$42 per hour


Biologists with little to no experience tend to make between $44100 and $56730 while the more experienced ones can earn over $103540 per year.

Top 5 paying states Hourly Annual
NJ $70 $145,180
IL $54 $111,760
IN $51 $107,040
MA $50 $104,650
NH $49 $102,910

One of the easiest ways to increase your salary as a Biologist is to move to a higher paying state like NJ. Right now, the highest paying states for Biologists are NJ, IL, IN, MA and NH.

However, a higher pay at NJ doesn’t guarantee that you will make more because the living expenses at NJ might be twice as high than where you are currently at now.

Three other factors that can increase your salary as a Biologist is the degree you hold, the industry you work in, and lastly the company you work for.


Requirements

Recommended degree level
Master’s degree

We asked other Biologists what degree they had when they got the job and most of them said they had a Master’s Degree followed by a Bachelor’s Degree.

Other than that, we also asked them what did they major in and here are the most popular majors that came up.

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Read more about how to become a Biologist and the degree, training and education you need.

Pros and Cons

Here are some of the pros and cons of being a Biologist.

PROS
Suitable for people who likes to solve problems mentally
Suitable for people who values achievements and are results-oriented
This career is perfect for people who love to work indoors.
Very high salary (top 25% highest paid careers)
CONS
Not suitable for people who likes to help and teach others
It is very hard to get into this career. Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience is required for this career.
Long working hours (More than 40 hours per week)

What is the job like

Job satisfaction
69%

Is this job meaningful
65%


69% of Biologists said they were satisfied with their job and 65% said they feel like their job is making other people’s lives better.


Is this right for me

Best personality for this career
The Thinkers and The Builders

You can read more about these career personality types here.

People who are suitable for this job tends to like working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. They like searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally..

They also like work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They like working with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery.



Learn more about Biologists

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Job Description
Salary
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Quiz

Related career information

Biologists job description, Biologists salary, Biologists information, what is the job of a Biologist like, pros and cons about Biologists, colleges and universities for Biologists, is Biologists the right career for me, careers in Social Science and Humanities

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