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Career Exploration

Astronomers

Also called: Astronomer, Astrophysicist, Research Scientist, Scientist

What they do:

Observe, research, and interpret astronomical phenomena to increase basic knowledge or apply such information to practical problems.

On the job, you would:
  • Mentor graduate students and junior colleagues.
  • Present research findings at scientific conferences and in papers written for scientific journals.
  • Collaborate with other astronomers to carry out research projects.
On the job, you'll need:

Math and Science

  • arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics
  • physics

Engineering and Technology

  • computers and electronics
  • product and service development

Arts and Humanities

  • English language

Education and Training

  • teaching and course design

Basic Skills

  • reading work related information
  • using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems

People and Technology Systems

  • thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one
  • figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it

Problem Solving

  • noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it

Math

  • choose the right type of math to solve a problem
  • add, subtract, multiply, or divide

Verbal

  • communicate by speaking
  • communicate by writing

Ideas and Logic

  • make general rules or come up with answers from lots of detailed information
  • use rules to solve problems

Attention

  • pay attention to something without being distracted

Investigative

People interested in this work like activities that include ideas, thinking, and figuring things out.

  • Analytical Thinking
  • Initiative
  • Achievement/Effort
  • Integrity
  • Attention to Detail
  • Persistence

Analytical or scientific software

  • IBM SPSS Statistics
  • The MathWorks MATLAB

Presentation software

  • Microsoft PowerPoint

Development environment software

  • Abstraction plus reference plus synthesis A++
  • National Instruments LabVIEW

Video courtesy of CareerOneStop.

Job Outlook

The job outlook for this position is Bright.

New job opportunities are very likely in the future. This career will grow rapidly in the next few years.

Median Annual Salary: $128,330

Education

Post-doctoral training or doctoral degree is usually needed.