Being an employee for the production and manufacturing industries means that you need materials and resources to work with. That is why there are jobs specifically made to extract these, and these belong in the basic industries.
These industries are primarily focused on extracting and transporting the raw resources for other companies to produce. These jobs are normally out with nature, meaning that your workplace is not in an office or closed space. Rather, it is about exploring the natural environment and harvesting crops or minerals.
But of course, there is a variety of jobs that also consists of evaluation and improvement of production and extraction. So keep reading as we discuss some of the lucrative jobs in basic industries, and also explain to you what you need in order to obtain it.
Eight Profitable Jobs in Basic Industries
This information is provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, where one of their publications is the Occupational Outlook Handbook. This tool is made for people who want to know more about jobs regarding a work area, for example, finances or entertainment.
You can use the index to look for your desired job or choose the finder for more specific aspects. Keep in mind that the next set of data of median annual wage is from the year 2020.
If you are not into farming or mining jobs, do not worry. There are jobs related to these areas that the main focus is to look for ways to improve productivity and management.
1. Agronomists
- Median annual wage: $68,830
- Requirements: a bachelor’s degree in agriculture or a related field like biology or chemistry from an accredited post-secondary institution
Their job in basic industries is to provide data to agricultural workers about their crops and vegetables. Maintaining a healthy harvest is important for the market sector, as it is going to people and it needs to be safe.
Things like the type of soil, the arrangement of crops, or preventing weeds need research. So agronomists go to the field crops to investigate and use the data to understand how the harvest is growing. Moreover, agronomists can provide management and techniques that can improve the harvest process.
2. Agricultural Chemists
- Median annual wage: $80,680
- Requirements: a bachelor’s degree in chemistry or a related field
These chemists provide protection and improvement to crop fields with the development of chemicals. They test different chemicals to understand how the crops would react to them. Not only it would protect them from pests and weeds, but it can also accelerate the growing process.
Some of the chemicals that are produced to help the crops are herbicides, pesticides, fertilizers, and others. On top of that, they study the soil used so that it can be improved into a more fertile one.
3. Conservation Scientists and Foresters
- Median annual wage: $64,010
- Requirements: a bachelor’s degree in forestry or a related field
Taking care of forests and parks is a great task since there is a lot of vegetation. That is why these jobs’ purpose is to manage their condition and protect the natural resources. Conservation scientists are the ones that collect information and prepare plans for improvement in natural areas while avoiding damages to them.
Foresters on the other hand supervise these activities and forest workers. When it comes to planting new trees and keeping track of the forests growing without problem, foresters is the right job to choose.
And for basic industries, these two jobs come forth, as the former evaluates and arranges for timber harvesting, and the latter supervises the process of timber extraction.
4. Logging Workers
- Median annual wage: $42,350
- Requirements: a high school diploma and on-the-job training
And speaking of the forestry industry, logging workers are harvesters of logs. These people work for the foresters and they do the hard work when cutting trees. Essentially, you will need training for this job, for example, how to use machinery, learn to fasten cables around logs, and of course, always pay attention to your surroundings and safety.
5. Metallurgists
- Median annual wage: $95,640
- Requirements: a bachelor’s degree in materials science and engineering or in a related engineering field
The first step to creating a product is to have adequate materials, and metallurgists study their properties. These jobs are important to understand the structure and functionality of metals. For example, metals like copper and aluminum are commonly used in products. So, their characteristics need to be studied to inform what can be created with these.
Without metallurgists, the extraction of metals can be complicated, as they have knowledge of their composition. They can be useful to ease the process and bring to the tables techniques and observe for things to improve in the mines.
6. Mining and Geological Engineers
- Median annual wage: $93,800
- Requirements: a bachelor’s degree in engineering. A degree in civil or environmental engineering or geoscience is often acceptable
Even though there are people extracting ores from mines, it is important to keep them safe. For that reason, these engineers have a great role in basic industries.
Their primary focus is to design and construct structures in mines so that the extraction of metals is efficient and safer. They also optimize the route of extraction so that the transportation of minerals is quick and well organized
Mining engineers normally focus on one specific metal or mineral, like gold; while geological engineers look for mineral deposits. In the end, both jobs prepare a plan to mine the minerals with ease and get them outside.
7. Petroleum Engineers
- Median annual wage: $137,330
- Requirements: a bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering or a related field, like mechanical, civil, or chemical engineering.
Another job in basic industries is the extraction of gas and oil from deposits underground. These engineers search for these deposits and use machinery like drills to dig wells in the land or sea.
This is a complicated job, which is why there has to be a plan first. Petroleum engineers need an efficient drilling process, taking into account where it contains the gas and oil, the path it is going to take, the correct equipment, and other factors to consider.
8. Geologists
- Median annual wage: $93,580
- Requirements: a bachelor’s degree in geoscience engineering or a related field, like physical science or natural resources. A master’s degree is preferred.
To help analyze better the underground of the earth, geologists study how deposits of minerals and oil are created. They are important in basic industries since they provide information and knowledge needed for any extraction.
Normally they study samples of the terrain to know the state that is in, or from minerals to understand the composition. Providing reports of their findings can help to locate nearby deposits of natural resources and analyze more data in the process.