What do skatepark engineers, coconut safety engineers, volcanologists, or 3D filmers have in common? All these professionals have degrees in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). These are jobs unfamiliar to most people. What are some of the jobs you almost never think about (but perhaps should consider) while searching for a job)?

The good news is that a vast majority (93 out of 100) of STEM occupations have wages above the national average. With average yearly salary of $87,570, they represent nearly double the national average compared to other non-STEM jobs with yearly $45,700. The least popular STEM occupations include astronomers, forestry and conservation fields, science teachers, and mathematical technicians. On the other hand, seven out of 10 jobs in the STEM field are computer related. These positions include software engineers for video gaming industry.

Video gaming industry

This industry focuses on the development of video games and maintains a steady 3 to 5 percent yearly growth. It represents a big market and must be taken into consideration. According to this study, 65% of US households own a device designed to play video games. The value of the market in the US alone in 2017 is estimated to be at $18.4 billion. This value is predicted to increase to $20.28 billion by 2020. The predictions for the worldwide market are even more impressive and are expected to reach almost $109 billion in game revenues in 2017. This does not include spending on mobile games or hardware. With smartphones, tablets and iPhones being more commonly used, the mobile market share is up to 42 % of the market.

A typical game programmer or designer has a degree in information systems, computer science or mathematics. The average yearly salary for a software engineer is $74,280. Even though it employs thousands of people, the majority working in the industry and game developers are men. But the industry is pushing more for women to work in this field because it can benefit from gender diversity. For instance, The University of Utah has a highly competitive video game design program. Because women are underrepresented in this field, the school focuses on recruiting women for all engineering fields. It also provides diverse scholarships for women.

Maritime Researcher or Underwater Filmmaker

A maritime degree offers a lot of options for you if you are interested in oceans. As with most of the STEM jobs, a typical education requires a bachelor’s degree. If you are willing to explore the ocean in a scuba suite, you can observe the underwater worlds from a different perspective, and you will need to use math and physics to do so safely. Bringing a camera with you, and taking underwater shots or film might make this even more interesting.

Meteorologist

Not all meteorologists appear on local news to tell us about the weather forecast. There are many other scientists who work in laboratories or with computer modeling. They observe, research, and study weather patterns so they can predict it better in the future. It requires vast knowledge of physics, mathematics and science.

Storm chaser

Scientists working in the field and gathering data about storms are known as storm chasers. They study severe weather phenomena such as strong storms, winds, floods, tornados, hurricanes or earthquakes. Meteorology researchers can track storms in order to gather better data, videos or photographs. Or, they can have other day job and chase storms only as a hobby.