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The differences between field scientists and scientists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a field scientist, becoming a scientist takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a scientist has an average salary of $97,344, which is higher than the $76,601 average annual salary of a field scientist.
The top three skills for a field scientist include field testing, data collection and geotechnical. The most important skills for a scientist are chemistry, data analysis, and patients.
| Field Scientist | Scientist | |
| Yearly salary | $76,601 | $97,344 |
| Hourly rate | $36.83 | $46.80 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 88,454 | 62,467 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 82% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Average age | 39 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
The duties of a field scientist depend on one's line of work or industry of employment. In general, their responsibilities typically include conducting studies and scientific research, visiting various sites to observe and gather samples, performing laboratory analyses and experiments, maintaining records of all operations, and coming up with conclusions from the research findings. When it comes to employment opportunities, a field scientist may work for learning institutions, government agencies, and private companies, where they usually work together with other scientists and experts.
A scientist is responsible for researching and analyzing the nature and complexities of the physical world to identify discoveries that would improve people's lives and ignite scientific knowledge for society. Scientists' duties differ in their different areas of expertise, but all of them must have a broad comprehension of scientific disciplines and methods to support their experiments and investigations. They collect the sample for their research, record findings, create research proposals, and release publications. A scientist must know how to utilize laboratory equipment to support the study and drive results efficiently and accurately.
Field scientists and scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Field Scientist | Scientist | |
| Average salary | $76,601 | $97,344 |
| Salary range | Between $52,000 And $111,000 | Between $67,000 And $140,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Redwood City, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Syngenta | Airbnb |
| Best paying industry | Internet | Technology |
There are a few differences between a field scientist and a scientist in terms of educational background:
| Field Scientist | Scientist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 82% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Most common major | Environmental Science | Chemistry |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between field scientists' and scientists' demographics:
| Field Scientist | Scientist | |
| Average age | 39 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 72.5% Female, 27.5% | Male, 56.9% Female, 43.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 6.2% Asian, 5.0% White, 81.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 6.5% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 26.3% White, 53.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 16% | 8% |