Soil and Plant Scientists
Overview
Salary
Demand
Core Tasks
Technology Skills
Tools Used
Top 10 Knowledge Required
Top 10 Skills
Top 10 Abilities
Top 10 Work Activities
Detailed Work Activities
Work Context
Education
Majors
Interests
Top 10 Work Styles
Work Values
Related Careers
Overview
Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
Experience
Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.
Education
Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Job Training
Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.
Examples
These occupations often involve coordinating, training, supervising, or managing the activities of others to accomplish goals. Very advanced communication and organizational skills are required. Examples include pharmacists, lawyers, astronomers, biologists, clergy, neurologists, and veterinarians.
Conduct research in breeding, physiology, production, yield, and management of crops and agricultural plants or trees, shrubs, and nursery stock, their growth in soils, and control of pests; or study the chemical, physical, biological, and mineralogical composition of soils as they relate to plant or crop growth. May classify and map soils and investigate effects of alternative practices on soil and crop productivity.
Salary Salary
Salary at 10th Percentile: $39K
Salary at 25th Percentile: $51K
Median Salary: $66K
Salary at 75th Percentile: $87K
Salary at 90th Percentile: $117K
Demand
Core Tasks
Communicate research or project results to other professionals or the public or teach related courses, seminars, or workshops.
Develop methods of conserving or managing soil that can be applied by farmers or forestry companies.
Provide information or recommendations to farmers or other landowners regarding ways in which they can best use land, promote plant growth, or avoid or correct problems such as erosion.
Conduct experiments to develop new or improved varieties of field crops, focusing on characteristics such as yield, quality, disease resistance, nutritional value, or adaptation to specific soils or climates.
Investigate soil problems or poor water quality to determine sources and effects.
Investigate responses of soils to specific management practices to determine the use capabilities of soils and the effects of alternative practices on soil productivity.
Conduct experiments to investigate the underlying mechanisms of plant growth and response to the environment.
Develop new or improved methods or products for controlling or eliminating weeds, crop diseases, or insect pests.
Identify degraded or contaminated soils and develop plans to improve their chemical, biological, or physical characteristics.
Provide advice regarding the development of regulatory standards for land reclamation or soil conservation.
Study soil characteristics to classify soils on the basis of factors such as geographic location, landscape position, or soil properties.
Conduct research to determine best methods of planting, spraying, cultivating, harvesting, storing, processing, or transporting horticultural products.
Develop environmentally safe methods or products for controlling or eliminating weeds, crop diseases, or pests.
Develop improved measurement techniques, soil conservation methods, soil sampling devices, or related technology.
Study ways to improve agricultural sustainability, such as the use of new methods of composting.
Consult with engineers or other technical personnel working on construction projects about the effects of soil problems and possible solutions to these problems.
Perform chemical analyses of the microorganism content of soils to determine microbial reactions or chemical mineralogical relationships to plant growth.
Survey undisturbed or disturbed lands for classification, inventory, mapping, environmental impact assessments, environmental protection planning, conservation planning, or reclamation planning.
Plan or supervise waste management programs for composting or farming.
Conduct experiments investigating how soil forms, changes, or interacts with land-based ecosystems or living organisms.
Develop ways of altering soils to suit different types of plants.
Research technical requirements or environmental impacts of urban green spaces, such as green roof installations.
Conduct experiments regarding causes of bee diseases or factors affecting yields of nectar or pollen.
Identify or classify species of insects or allied forms, such as mites or spiders.
Study insect distribution or habitat and recommend methods to prevent importation or spread of injurious species.
Plan or supervise land conservation or reclamation programs for industrial development projects.
Conduct research into the use of plant species as green fuels or in the production of green fuels.
Technology Skills
Technology
Example
Hot Technology
Tools Used
Tool
Example
Top 10 Knowledge Required
Biology
89%
Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
English Language
81%
Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Computers and Electronics
78%
Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
Chemistry
77%
Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
Mathematics
76%
Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
Education and Training
68%
Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
Geography
68%
Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
Communications and Media
67%
Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
Engineering and Technology
64%
Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
Administration and Management
63%
Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Top 10 Skills
Active Learning
80%
Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Critical Thinking
80%
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Reading Comprehension
80%
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Science
80%
Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
Speaking
80%
Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Active Listening
78%
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Complex Problem Solving
78%
Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Writing
78%
Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Judgment and Decision Making
75%
Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Systems Analysis
70%
Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
Top 10 Abilities
Category Flexibility
80%
The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
Deductive Reasoning
80%
The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
Inductive Reasoning
80%
The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
Information Ordering
80%
The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
Oral Comprehension
80%
The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Oral Expression
80%
The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Written Comprehension
80%
The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Written Expression
80%
The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
Originality
78%
The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
Problem Sensitivity
78%
The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
Top 10 Work Activities
Interacting With Computers
93%
Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
Analyzing Data or Information
90%
Identifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts.
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
87%
Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
Making Decisions and Solving Problems
86%
Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
Processing Information
86%
Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
84%
Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
Documenting/Recording Information
84%
Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
Getting Information
84%
Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others
81%
Translating or explaining what information means and how it can be used.
Thinking Creatively
81%
Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
Detailed Work Activities
Prepare scientific or technical reports or presentations.
Develop sustainable industrial or development methods.
Advise others about land management or conservation.
Research sustainable agricultural processes or practices.
Research hydrologic features or processes.
Research crop management methods.
Conduct climatological research.
Analyze environmental data.
Plan natural resources conservation or restoration programs.
Develop agricultural methods.
Research geological features or processes.
Collaborate with technical specialists to resolve design or development problems.
Analyze biological samples.
Conduct research of processes in natural or industrial ecosystems.
Survey land or properties.
Develop environmental sustainability plans or projects.
Direct natural resources management or conservation programs.
Research impacts of environmental conservation initiatives.
Research diseases or parasites.
Classify organisms based on their characteristics or behavior.
Advise others about environmental management or conservation.
Work Context
Electronic Mail
How often do you use electronic mail in this job?
Face-to-Face Discussions
How often do you have to have face-to-face discussions with individuals or teams in this job?
Freedom to Make Decisions
How much decision making freedom, without supervision, does the job offer?
Telephone
How often do you have telephone conversations in this job?
Structured versus Unstructured Work
To what extent is this job structured for the worker, rather than allowing the worker to determine tasks, priorities, and goals?
Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
How often does this job require working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions?
Responsible for Others' Health and Safety
How much responsibility is there for the health and safety of others in this job?
Work With Work Group or Team
How important is it to work with others in a group or team in this job?
Coordinate or Lead Others
How important is it to coordinate or lead others in accomplishing work activities in this job?
Contact With Others
How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it?
Education
Majors
Major
Interests
Investigative
100%
Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.
Realistic
81%
Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
Artistic
53%
Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.
Conventional
43%
Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.
Social
43%
Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.
Enterprising
24%
Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.
Top 10 Work Styles
Integrity
91%
Job requires being honest and ethical.
Analytical Thinking
88%
Job requires analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems.
Attention to Detail
87%
Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
Dependability
85%
Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
Persistence
85%
Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.
Cooperation
84%
Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
Initiative
83%
Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
Achievement/Effort
79%
Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.
Adaptability/Flexibility
78%
Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
Independence
78%
Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.
Work Values
Achievement
86%
Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.
Independence
81%
Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy.
Recognition
77%
Occupations that satisfy this work value offer advancement, potential for leadership, and are often considered prestigious. Corresponding needs are Advancement, Authority, Recognition and Social Status.
Working Conditions
72%
Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions. Corresponding needs are Activity, Compensation, Independence, Security, Variety and Working Conditions.
Relationships
58%
Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service.
Support
48%
Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical.
