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The differences between science teachers and scientists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a science teacher, becoming a scientist takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a scientist has an average salary of $97,344, which is higher than the $59,788 average annual salary of a science teacher.
The top three skills for a science teacher include classroom management, professional development and student learning. The most important skills for a scientist are chemistry, data analysis, and patients.
| Science Teacher | Scientist | |
| Yearly salary | $59,788 | $97,344 |
| Hourly rate | $28.74 | $46.80 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 71,133 | 62,467 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Average age | 43 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 4 |
A science teacher is responsible for teaching scientific concepts and disciplines, helping learners to understand systems, procedures, and generate ideas using scientific evidence and approaches. Science teachers create engaging lesson plans and activities for the learners, including laboratory works, group research, and field experiments. They also demonstrate methods and present scientific research to support their observations. A science teacher evaluates the students' learning by giving them written or practical exams, including problem-solving and scientific methods.
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.
Science teachers and scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Science Teacher | Scientist | |
| Average salary | $59,788 | $97,344 |
| Salary range | Between $40,000 And $87,000 | Between $67,000 And $140,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | Redwood City, CA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | California |
| Best paying company | Pace University | Airbnb |
| Best paying industry | Education | Technology |
There are a few differences between a science teacher and a scientist in terms of educational background:
| Science Teacher | Scientist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Most common major | Biology | Chemistry |
| Most common college | Harvard University | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between science teachers' and scientists' demographics:
| Science Teacher | Scientist | |
| Average age | 43 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 42.1% Female, 57.9% | Male, 56.9% Female, 43.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.2% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.9% Asian, 3.6% White, 71.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | 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 | 12% | 8% |