Career Options for Creative & Scientific Careers
A creative and scientific mind has played a part in producing everything from the printing press to the cars we drive. Many careers in a number of occupational fields incorporate both creative and scientific skills.
| Job Title | Median Salary (2020)* | Job Outlook (2019-2029)* |
|---|---|---|
| Writers and Authors | $67,120 | -2% |
| Medical and Scientific Illustrators | $52,340 (fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators) | 1% (fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators) |
| Medical Scientists | $91,510 | 6% |
| Biomedical Engineers | $92,620 | 5% |
| Postsecondary Biological Science Teachers | $85,600 | 9% |
| Industrial Designers | $71,640 | -4% |
| Marine Engineers and Naval Architects | $95,440 | 1% |
Source: *U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Career Information for Creative & Scientific Careers
Writers and Authors
Writers and authors may be classified as communication experts but they can include people who are experts in a wide range of fields. They also usually need to have a bachelor's degree. Individuals who have studied science may combine their scientific knowledge and creative writing skills to produce science textbooks, articles on scientific issues or other types of material. Writers and authors may produce fiction or nonfiction works that can be used online or in print or they may write scripts for shows, movies and plays.
Medical and Scientific Illustrators
Medical and scientific illustrators are fine artists who have a bachelor's degree in science and art. They use their creative skills and scientific knowledge to produce diagrams and illustrations for medical and scientific textbooks. In order to accurately present anatomy or scientific materials they must have a strong background in science.
Medical Scientists
Medical scientists need to have a doctoral degree in science or medicine. They help develop ways to treat health issues and regularly use scientific skills in their research. They also need to be creative so that they can find new potential treatments or devices. Creative thinking skills can help them produce innovative solutions.
Biomedical Engineers
Biomedical engineers can prepare for a career with a bachelor's degree in their field. They spend their career developing medical equipment and combine scientific knowledge about the human body and medical conditions to inform their work on potential medical treatments. Biomedical engineers need to be creative in order to come up with new ideas or strategies in their work so that they can improve a product's effectiveness or develop a new device that can help treat medical issues.
Postsecondary Biological Science Teachers
Postsecondary biological science teachers instruct college and university students and may also be involved with research. Postsecondary teachers typically need a doctoral degree in their field, so those who teach in this field must have extensive knowledge of biological science. They can incorporate their creative talents to develop innovative ways to approach teaching and they also benefit from originality if they are developing research projects as part of their duties.
Industrial Designers
Industrial designers need a bachelor's degree in a field such as industrial design or engineering in order to prepare for their career. In addition to a science degree they must have artistic skills, including the ability to produce illustrations by hand or with computer-aided design software. They help invent or refine products and can influence changes to product design. They need technical skills to be able to determine how a potential product would operate and they also need creative skills to come up with new concepts and design plans.
Marine Engineers and Naval Architects
Marine engineers and naval architects combine their technical skills to produce ships that operate effectively. They must have a bachelor's degree in their field. Knowledge of physics is important for this career field because these engineering and architecture professionals rely on scientific knowledge to do their work effectively. They also need to be creative to come up with effective design plans that will produce a ship that operates successfully.
