Long-Term Prospects

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Job Satisfaction

Health sciences: 71% (Payscale)

Neurosurgeon job satisfaction: 95% satisfied; 73% very satisfied

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23022641

General quality of life statement

Neuroscientists who pursue careers in health sciences report extremely high levels of job satisfaction. While the median job satisfaction rate is 54%, those in health sciences average a rate of 71%. So whenever your pal Average Joe tells you about the sweet burn he just got on at the gym, you just look him right in the eye and explain that you are quantifiably seventeen percent happier than him, while stuffing your face with a 100 Grand bar.

You could also try to induce some jealousy by convincing him that the candy is actually worth a hundred thousand dollars. Do it. He won't know.

Snooty candy-guzzling aside, it's no wonder these professionals are happy with their work. Their job is to improve people's health and quality of life, and they're generally well-respected. If a daughter tells her father, "Dad, I'm marrying a doctor!" he's not going to roll his eyes in exasperation.

However, the salary numbers for a career in neuroscience may seem surprisingly low. The median salary for a college graduate is $55,000—neuroscientists' median salary is $3,000 less. Even those in the 75th percentile make less than the national average. So what gives?

Well, these numbers factor in a wide range of careers. Lab technicians, science writers, teachers, and researchers will make far less than pharmacists, psychiatrists, or neurosurgeons. It all depends on where you want to end up. In this field, more schoolin' means more moolah. So if that's important to you, definitely consider poking around in peoples' brains for a living.

25th Percentile Salary

Median Salary

75th Percentile Salary

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