If working underwater sounds better than a 9-5 office gig, this quiz is for you!
Forget STEM stereotypes – you can totally have an outdoor STEM career, and they’re perfect for anyone who loves nature, adventure and not knowing what exciting location their job will take them next.
Dreaming of an outdoor STEM career?
Then this video is essential viewing! It covers five fun jobs that spend a good amount of time away from the office.
We’ve also got all the reads!
Check out these resources if you’re interested in building an outdoor STEM career.
- 5 STEM careers that will get you into the great outdoors: want regular opportunities to get your hands dirty outside AND get paid for it? Here are five outdoor careers to consider.
- How this geologist found her calling with QUT science: Kat enrolled in a Bachelor of Science (Earth science), one of QUT’s five single-degree science majors, because she’s fascinated by what’s involved in transporting and concentrating resources in the Earth. Find out more about the degree, including its outdoor trips to different parts of Australia.
- Shark conservation careers: keen on marine biology? Why not work with sharks and in shark conservation? Here’s a list of the exciting STEM careers in this field.
- Wanna work with animals? Protecting them is a full-time STEM gig: Museums Victoria’s senior curator of mammals and lead researcher Dr Kevin Rowe, is proof that STEM skills + a love of animals = one seriously exciting animal science career.
Advice from the experts
These STEM pros landed an outdoor STEM career and have shared their journeys with us.
Dr Thomas Newsome, ecologist and lecturer
Thomas is researching how humans and wildlife drive ecosystem changes, particularly scavengers and large predators like dingoes. Today he could be setting up camera traps, while tomorrow could involve measuring nutrients in the soil.
Find out more about Thomas’ outdoor STEM career by reading his full profile.
Elise McCarthy, ranger
Elise works out of her leafy office – a rotating roster of parks in North Western Sydney. As a ranger with the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), she manages bush regeneration contracts, works with volunteers, undertakes hazard reduction burns, maintains infrastructure and liaises with the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council on the care of cultural sites. Check out her study and career path.
Michelle Sexton, environmental advisor and outdoor drone pilot
Michelle says she got into environmental science to combine her “love of being outdoors, with helping the environment, which in turn benefits society and future generations”. She is now an environmental advisor for Rio Tinto Iron Ore in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, and reckons she has one of the coolest jobs in the mining industry.
Catch her full STEM story here.
Looking for more STEM quizzes? Take your pick over at the Careers with STEM quiz hub!
Author: Louise Meers
Louise is Careers with STEM’s digital content strategist. She has a journalism degree from the University of Technology, Sydney and has spent over a decade writing for youth. She is passionate about inspiring young people to achieve their biggest goals and build a better future.
