Environmental Scientist and Specialist
SOC 19-2041
Measuring and protecting water, air, soil and habitat, and making the case in front of a regulator. ⚠⚠⚠ Two things a Florida student should know before choosing the major. FIRST, environmental SCIENCE and environmental STUDIES are different degrees leading to different jobs, and the state's largest producer teaches the studies one. SECOND, Florida pays this occupation $21,390 below the national median — a far wider gap than architecture's $3,040 or interior design's $6,330 — so choosing the employer matters more here than almost anywhere else.
Marine Biologist and Wildlife Biologist
SOC 19-1023
⚠⚠⚠ The numbers first, because nobody puts them in front of Florida students: 19,500 zoologists and wildlife biologists nationally, about 1,400 openings a year across all fifty states, and a FLORIDA median of $52,750 against $76,780 nationally — the widest gap this site has measured. ⚠⚠ Florida awards 98 marine biology bachelor's a year at three institutions, and roughly 5,000 biology bachelor's, many of whom want the same jobs. This page is about what to do with that, not about talking you out of it.
⚠⚠ Natural Resources and Conservation — the better-paid neighbour on the same coastline. Environmental science is 745 Florida credentials at 16 institutions against 98 at three, and its Florida median is about $8,000 higher. Estuaries, seagrass and water quality are the same water from the regulatory side.
Farmer, Rancher and Agricultural Manager
SOC 11-9013
⚠⚠⚠ 67% of this occupation is self-employed, and BLS puts the entry-level education at a HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA plus five or more years of experience. For most farmers the entry requirement is land and capital, not a qualification. ⚠⚠ The degree leads to the other third: the hired farm, ranch, grove, nursery and greenhouse managers, who are the only people the $89,900 median describes — and who in Florida earn $141,370 at the 75th percentile. This page explains what the degree is actually for.
⚠ Natural Resources Conservation — the land-stewardship side of farm management: soil, water and habitat decisions made under Florida's water-management districts and best-management-practice rules.