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Science and Research | Physical / Geoscience Technician

Physical / Geoscience Technician

What Does a Professional in this Career Do?

A Physical or Geoscience Technician works with supervising geoscientists and geophysicists and uses specialized equipment to collect data on the earth's surface and interior. May assist with prospecting for underground sources of oil or gas.

Job Outlook

There were 165 Physical / Geoscience Technician job postings in North Carolina in the past year and 5084 in the United States.

In combination with other careers in the Physical / Geoscience Technician industry, which includes the Physical / Geoscience Technician career, the following graph shows the number of people employed for each year since 2015:

Salary

Many new Physical / Geoscience Technician jobs have salaries estimated to be in the following ranges, based on the requirements and responsibilities listed in job postings from the past year.

National

The average estimated salary in the United States for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $63,574.

State

The average estimated salary in North Carolina for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $53,266.

Percentiles represent the percentage that is lower than the value. For example, 25% of estimated salaries for Physical / Geoscience Technician postings in the United States in the past year were lower than $45,369.

Education and Experience

Posted Physical / Geoscience Technician jobs typically require the following level of education. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list education requirements.

Education LevelPercentage
Associate's Degree0%
Bachelor's Degree35.37%
Master's Degree15.62%
Doctoral Degree4.92%
Other31.39%

Posted Physical / Geoscience Technician jobs typically require the following number of years of experience. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list experience requirements.

Years of ExperiencePercentage
0 to 2 years54.85%
3 to 5 years28.79%
6 to 8 years9.54%
9+ years6.82%

Skills

Below are listings of the most common general and specialized skills Physical / Geoscience Technician positions expect applicants to have as well as the most common skills that distinguish individuals from their peers. The percentage of job postings that specifically mention each skill is also listed.

Baseline Skills

A skill that is required across a broad range of occupations, including this one.

  • Communication (36.47%)
  • Operations (26.26%)
  • Management (24.76%)
  • Detail Oriented (15.26%)
  • Research (14.56%)
  • Microsoft Office (13.36%)
  • Writing (12.67%)
  • Planning (12.08%)
  • Microsoft Excel (11.92%)
  • Troubleshooting (Problem Solving) (11.21%)

Defining Skills

A core skill for this occupation, it occurs frequently in job postings.

  • Geotechnical Engineering (24.97%)

Necessary Skills

A skill that is requested frequently in this occupation but isn’t specific to it.

  • Natural Gas (19.56%)
  • Soil Sampling (4.19%)
  • Physical Science (17.08%)
  • Chemistry (10.89%)
  • Civil Engineering (10.97%)
  • Construction (13.06%)
  • Surveying (3.48%)
  • Geology (18.44%)
  • Laboratory Testing (14.22%)
  • Project Management (25.37%)
  • Groundwater (2.17%)
  • Soil Science (16.05%)
  • Sampling (Statistics) (9.21%)
  • Environment Health And Safety (5.02%)

Alternative Job Titles

Sometimes employers post jobs with Physical / Geoscience Technician skills but a different job title. Some common alternative job titles include:

  • Physical Science Technician
  • Geotechnical Field Technician
  • Natural Gas Analyst
  • Geotechnical Project Manager
  • Field Technician
  • Geotechnical Technician
  • Quantitative Associate
  • Service Technician
  • Geotechnical Engineer
  • Engineering Technician

Similar Occupations

If you are interested in exploring occupations with similar skills, you may want to research the following job titles. Note that we only list occupations that have at least one corresponding NC State Online and Distance Education program.

Common Employers

Here are the employers that have posted the most Physical / Geoscience Technician jobs in the past year along with how many they have posted.

United States

  • Cadmus International Limited (116)
  • Actalent (99)
  • Globallogic (96)
  • Universal Engineering Sciences (60)
  • Terracon Consultants (59)
  • Langan Engineering & Environmental Services (54)
  • JF Petroleum Group (46)
  • Pike Electric (46)
  • Tait & Associates (43)
  • Kelly Services (34)

North Carolina

  • Universal Engineering Sciences (19)
  • Globallogic (16)
  • Raise (8)
  • Summit Engineering, Laboratory & Testing (7)
  • Dominion Energy (6)
  • Southeast Connections (5)
  • Geo-Technology Associates, Inc. (Gta) (5)
  • S&Me (4)
  • Actalent (3)
  • JF Petroleum Group (3)

NC State Programs Relevant to this Career

If you are interested in preparing for a career in this field, the following NC State Online and Distance Education programs offer a great place to start!