Industry and Business Sector
Within the private sector, salaries are the most variable. This is due to many reasons that are somewhat unique to this employment sector, including the nature of the business (industry, non profit, for-profit, consulting, engineering firm), the size of the business (ranging from a one person, at-home business to a large consulting firms with several branch locations throughout the world), and the geographic location of the business.
Aquaria and Zoos
The American Zoo and Aquarium Assocation (AZA) is a professional organization with over 183 accredited members. Their web site features a link to their newsletter, Communique, which features job openings at zoos and aquaria throughout the country. A recent sampling of those positions yielded the following information:
| Position |
Employment Sector |
Location |
Education/
Experience |
Salary
|
| Seagoing Electronics Eng. |
Private |
West |
B.Sc., 5+ yrs. |
$50,000+ |
| Marine Educator |
Gov't. (state) |
South |
B.S., teaching |
$30,000-$34,000 |
| Environmental Scientist |
Gov't. (reg'l) |
West |
B.S. + 3 yrs. |
$74,000-$92,412 |
| Software Programmer |
Private |
n/a |
BSCS, BSEE + 5 yrs. |
$72,000-$85,000 |
| Field Scientist |
n/a |
n/a |
M.S. + exp. |
$35,000-$40,000 |
| Senior Aquarist |
Private |
Midwest |
B.S., SCUBA |
$17-$20/hour |
| Associate Veterinarian |
Private |
Southeast |
DVM + 1 yr. |
$45,680 |
| Children's Zoo Interpreter |
Private |
South |
B.S. or experience |
$23,349 |
| Zoo & Aquarium Instructor |
Private |
South |
B.S. + experience |
$23,239 |
| Education/Advocacy Coord. |
Private |
South |
2-3 yrs. experience |
$24,000 |
| Aquarist 1 |
Private |
Southeast |
1 yr. experience |
$22,000-$25,000 |
| Asst. Animal Trainer |
Private |
Southeast |
experience |
$1,600/month |
| Zoo Keeper |
Gov't. (local) |
South |
B.S. |
$23,093 |
Industry
A recent survey of scientists and engineers in industry yielded the following results:
| Discipline |
Business/Industry
Average Starting Salaries |
| Biological Sciences |
$29,000 |
| Chemistry |
$36,000 |
| Earth/Atmosphere and Ocean Sciences |
$31,000 |
| Engineering |
$50,000 |
| Physics and Physical Sciences |
$39,000 |
Source: Commission on Professionals in Science and Technology, 2005
The full results of the survey are available online at: nextwave.sciencemag.org/survey/index.dtl.
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