New scientists jobs for those who seek entry level scientist jobs are, arguably, the most difficult to get because they are the most competitive. Why would entry level scientist jobs be more competitive than elite, executive science jobs such as those for science administrators? Actually, it's elementary: the best science jobs don't get won by an education alone. They are partially won on experience as well.
There are jobs for scientists that pay some excellent money. Indeed, the average annual pay for a scientist in America is $75,000. This is 20% higher than the average annual pay earned by American workers with every industry and job position taken into consideration. Scientists can also find work at the university level as professors. Professors tend to make exceptionally good salaries while enjoying exceptionally good work hours and "company" benefits.
But these positions come with a price. To be a science professor, you can't have less than a Ph.D. degree. And to get the higher-up jobs for scientists, those that require less lab work and get more time in nice offices or even out in the more exciting field, you have to earn your keep first. There is a surprisingly large amount of bureaucracy in the science world and an equally surprising amount of orthodoxy.
Young scientists who need entry level science jobs might find surprising opportunities in areas they tend not to consider. This is important. Young scientists and science researchers need to take careful assessment of the job market when they look for their new scientist’s jobs, their entry level scientist jobs. Future prestige is built upon what a young scientist does in the early years of one's career. Prestige is vitally important.
There is a huge amount of pressure on young scientists, especially those who have just graduated with their MS or Ph.D., to do clinical research and gain experience. In the science world, your degree is just a ticket to experience. It is experience that matters most to potential employers who would like to give you that $75,000 per year pay check. This is analogous to the "publish or perish" pressure that haunts university professors in every academic field.
If you begin as an Associate Scientist—that's rather like an apprentice—you can earn a decent paycheck while learning the ropes of your field. In time, you will become someone who is more in demand. The average Associate Scientist today makes $49,000 per year. That's definitely enough to put bacon on the table and have a quality pan to fry it up in within a nice home if you live within your means.
When you work your way up to a Supervisory Scientist position you can be earning closer to $100,000 per year.
But the question remains: how do you work up to these upper positions?
If you cannot find a good associate scientist job, you might need to go to work for non-profit organizations. Will these pay you a large salary? No, they won't. They don't have the money for that. However, it is far easier for a young scientist to get hired into such a position than it is for one to get hired into an upper-tier job—even an entry level science job.
By going to work for a non-profit organization for a few years, the entry level scientist can gain large amounts of the requisite experience while also giving himself a moral compass by which to steer in his future career. It's all too easy to get caught up in "cold, hard" facts. A scientist needs to maintain a moral compass so that her work is guided by some kind of deeper philosophy than just shunting so-called facts around. Non-profit work for low pay gives you a chance to steep yourself in the sciences without having to constantly look over your shoulder to see if you are saying or writing the right things. It's a world beyond "publish or perish" and provides a deeper meaning for your subsequent career.
But this isn't to say that you won't be responsible for writing journal articles during this stint, if you choose it. Writing journal articles will be very good for advancing your scientific career. It will help to train you, give you real-world experience, and deepen you. It will also help to get you noticed. New scientist jobs rely heavily on publication by said new scientists to be able to make those scientists noticed.
Again, scientists can make excellent money. But they must earn their stripes first. While scientist jobs are in high demand, scientists are expected to devote themselves to a higher cause first. If you are looking for entry level scientist jobs, be willing to take some low-paying jobs first. After only a few years, you will be ready for higher things.
