·Career Advice

The "Safe Bet" Career: Data Scientists ($120,230 + 33.5% Growth)

High salary, strong growth, and you don't need a decade of school. What's the catch?

If you want a career that checks all the boxes — good pay, job security, and accessible education — Data Scientists is hard to beat:

  • 💰 Median salary: $120,230/year
  • 📈 Growth: +33.5% projected 2024-2034 (Much faster than average)
  • 🎓 Education: Bachelor's degree
  • 📋 Annual openings: 23,400 per year
  • 👥 Current employment: 262,440

The top 10% of data scientistss earn $199,130+. And with 23,400 openings per year, getting hired isn't the hard part.

The catch? There isn't much of one. This is one of those careers where supply of opportunities outpaces supply of qualified workers.

Data Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, IRS Statistics of Income, SEC proxy filings. All data is from official government sources.