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Yes, Basic Industries is a good career path. As a significant part of the economy, basic industries will survive for the foreseeable future. If you’re looking to make good money without needing to invest in education, there is a wide variety of options to choose from. You can learn on the job and work your way up the ladder in the career you choose.
There are also plenty of options if you choose to get a secondary education, especially in engineering or the sciences. These jobs are all great options if you’d like to build a long and rewarding career in basic industries.
Here are 12 great jobs in Basic Industries:
The 7 Best-Paying Jobs in Basic Industries
Due to how broad basic industries are, there are quite a wide variety of well-paying jobs in this market. Depending on which industry you choose, there will be a wide variety of career choices for you to choose from. The better-paying jobs in this industry include those in the sciences as well as engineering. Here are some of the best-paying jobs in basic industries.
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Average Annual Salary: $73,000
Animal scientists, also known as animal nutritionists, are individuals who conduct research regarding the genetics, nutrition, reproduction, growth, and development of domestic farm animals. These individuals typically research livestock management, develop agricultural methods, and prepare scientific reports.
Animal scientists often have a bachelor’s degree to land their job, and some jobs may require an occupational license to work in this career. However, animal scientists are largely trained on the job. If you’re interested in biology, mathematics, chemistry, and food production, this may be the job for you.
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Average Annual Salary: $68,000
Food scientists are individuals who use chemistry, microbiology, engineering, and other sciences to study the principles of the processing and deterioration of food. This may mean they analyze food content levels, discover new food sources, research ways to make food safe, and more.
Similar to animal scientists, agricultural and food scientists often need at least a bachelor’s degree in their field or a related science or engineering major. Food scientists work in a variety of different areas, including schools, food production companies, and scientific research and development.
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Average Annual Salary: $58,000
Chemists conduct qualitative and quantitative chemical analyses or experiments in laboratories in order to achieve quality or process control checks or to develop new products or knowledge. They may be tasked with testing material quality, analyzing chemical compounds, maintaining laboratory safety, and more.
To be successful in this field, most chemist careers require, at the very least, a bachelor’s degree. However, many individuals in this field have gone on to further their education. If you enjoy chemistry, mathematics, production, and processing, as well as computers and electronics, a career as a chemist may be right for you.
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Average Annual Salary: $83,000
A materials scientist is someone who studies and analyzes the chemical properties and structure of man-made and natural materials. This may include glass, rubber, ceramic, alloys, polymers, and metals. With this knowledge, you may devise new ways to strengthen, combine, or create new materials.
By experimenting with materials and chemicals, materials scientists are able to determine how new and existing materials can best improve how we use them. Materials scientists traditionally work in an office or laboratory within biotechnological businesses, government organizations, gas and oil companies, and universities.
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Average Annual Salary: $92,000
Geoscientists are those who study the composition, structure, and other physical aspects of the earth. This may include geological, physics, and mathematical knowledge when exploring things like oil, gas, minerals, or water. Similar to the other sciences careers, geoscientists typically have a bachelor’s degree or higher.
Geoscientists may be responsible for designing research studies to obtain information, conducting research, interpreting research or operational data, analyzing geological or geographical data, and researching geological features of processes. If you enjoy geography, math, and chemistry, this might be a great career option.
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Offshore/oil rig worker
Average Annual Salary: N/A
Oil rig workers are individuals responsible for supporting oil and gas drilling and extraction operations on an offshore oil platform. You may have responsibilities directly on the rig, or you may have duties that focus on general labor. Derrickman and driller work are those who work directly with drilling equipment.
This is a job that only requires a high school diploma or GED. Workers typically get trained on the job, although they must undergo some kind of safety training before starting, especially for those who have specialized skills, such as drilling engineers and underground pipefitters.
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Average Annual Salary: $77,000
Utility engineers are specialized engineers who typically work for public utility companies that provide water, power, gas, or sewer services to their communities. Similar to other jobs on this list, utility engineers typically have a degree in mechanical or civil engineering.
Utility engineers may be responsible for developing designs, plans, and operations, identifying and resolving system failures, directing groups of technicians during their day-to-day duties, compiling data on utility process units, and managing construction projects.
8 Entry-Level Jobs in Basic Industries
Basic Industries is a wide market, meaning there are a variety of entry-level jobs in various industries where you can get started. The majority of these positions do not require secondary education and will train you on the job. Consider these entry-level jobs in basic industries.
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Agricultural production worker
Average Annual Salary: N/A
Agricultural workers’ primary responsibility is to maintain crops and tend to livestock. This is a laborious job that requires tasks to be done outdoors in all kinds of weather. It should be noted that most agricultural production worker careers require a high school diploma or GED.
Agricultural production workers are an important component of the food market. Without these workers, there would be no food to consume, so consider this a highly sustainable job with relatively steady demand. To get started at this job, you will typically learn all the required skills on the job.
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Average Annual Salary: $39,000
Ironworkers are individuals who install structural and reinforcing iron and steel to form and support structures, including buildings, bridges, and roads. This is a highly physical job and sometimes even dangerous, especially when working on tall buildings. This means workers must wear safety equipment during their workday.
Similar to many other jobs we’ve mentioned, most ironworkers learn their skills through on-the-job training. The different types of ironworkers include reinforcing ironworkers, structural ironworkers, and ornamental ironworkers. Each brings a different set of required skills, so do your research before applying.
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Average Annual Salary: $45,000
Machinists are workers that are employed, usually by machine ships and manufacturing spaces, to create precise tools and parts for mechanical equipment and objects. This is a highly trained person who has knowledge in operating milling and drilling machines, grinders, and lathes in a machine shop.
Machinists do very precise work, which means that if you’re pursuing this type of career, you’ll want to make sure you have great attention to detail. This is a highly sought-after job, but you can start by working in an entry-level position and learning and improving your skills on the job.
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Average Annual Salary: $32,000
Metal fabricators cut, shape, position, and align different types of metal. These individuals are typically employed by construction and manufacturing companies that provide metal used to build structures. Although many receive training on the job, some metal fabricators have welding training from a trade school.
Metal fabricators may work on things like cars, aircraft, and electronic devices. They must read and interpret blueprints, cut, align, weld metal, and perform quality control tests. These individuals must also be comfortable with manufacturing technology, as many processes have recently been automated.
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Plant operator
Average Annual Salary: N/A
Plant operators oversee the day-to-day happenings of an industrial plant. These individuals may be required to operate different types of machinery and equipment, typically from a control room. Some plant operators bring specialized skills like having a specialty in a specific type of machinery or part of the process.
Plant operators can work in all types of industries in basic industries, such as oil and gas, manufacturing, utilities, and power plants. To enter this career, you do not need secondary education. However, plant operators may need to complete vocational training programs to learn how to operate and maintain equipment.
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Average Annual Salary: $44,000
A miner is an individual who extracts ore, coal, chalk, clay, and other minerals from the earth through the mining process. This could be someone who actually works directly with the rock face by cutting or blasting to obtain the material, or it could be someone who works within the mine even if they don’t work with the rock face.
Mining is one of the most dangerous jobs in the world, and oftentimes, miners will become injured on the job. Depending on the type of material you are mining, you may have a highly specialized role like a hewer, collier, driller, loader, putter, barrow-man hurrier, or timbers.
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Average Annual Salary: $64,000
Textile designers are those who take clothing and fabrics and create works of art. Textiles are anything that is made up of yarn, fabrics, or fibers. Each of these materials carries different properties, including flexibility, abrasion resistance, strength, and moisture control.
The textile designer is responsible for understanding how best to use these materials and creating the final product from that knowledge. Textile design is a highly creative field that involves creating designs printed on woven or knitted fabrics. For this job, a bachelor’s degree may be required, depending on the role you take.
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Average Annual Salary: $68,000
Loggers are individuals who work in the lumber industry, where they cut down trees and load them for transportation. These responsibilities include cutting, skidding, and pre-processing the logs before they’re sent off for their final destination to be processed into boards, paper, and other valuable materials.
Many loggers work closely with engineers, project supervisors, equipment operators, trailer drivers, and foresters. For this job, similar to agriculture, you must be okay with working outside in all types of weather. Additionally, this job is attainable without a secondary education, as long as you can handle the labor.
Why Choose a Career in Basic Industries?
For as long as goods need to be manufactured or assembled, there will be job opportunities in the basic industries market. These jobs will always be important in the economy and offer excellent opportunities for those who are production-minded. So, why should you choose a career in basic industries?
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Job security. By working in basic industries, you are guaranteed job security, especially in areas such as agriculture. The demand for basic industries is ever-present, ensuring your opportunities in the market.
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Teamwork. All industries within basic industries require collaboration with teammates. This can open up opportunities for lifelong friendships and skill-building, especially when working cross-functionally.
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Hands-on learning. If you enjoy a job that’s hands-on in a production-oriented environment, then you should consider basic industries as a career. The skills you learn in this environment can be extremely valuable and can help you pursue other opportunities in manufacturing or production.
Education and Certification Requirements for a Career in Basic Industries
Basic industries vary significantly, meaning the education and certification requirements may differ drastically, depending on the job you want to pursue. In any case, be advised that it’s most common for salaries to be based upon your existing skill level and experience.
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Some basic industry careers require a degree. These degrees are usually in engineering or technical fields, but for more specialized fields, they may require something else entirely. For example, if you’re looking to become a food scientist or geoscientist, your organization may require a scientific degree.
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However, many only require a high school diploma or GED. This is often appealing to many who don’t want the stress of college or student loans. Additionally, as you gain experience, your paycheck will get more and more lucrative as you work your way up.
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Be ready for on-the-job training. Most companies who hire entry-level positions will need to train on-site. This means you’ll get paid for learning how to do your job, which is a great perk.
What Do People Working in Basic Industries Do?
Basic industries refer to the industries that provide raw materials to other industries to manufacture their goods. These industries may also execute the discovery, development, and processing of raw materials. Basic industries include agriculture, oil and gas, mining, paper and pulp, steel, and chemicals.
Basic industries typically employ a highly trained workforce as the materials they work with have the potential to expose them to high-risk conditions. These jobs also bring a higher level of labor, meaning you’ll want to ensure you are physically able to handle the responsibilities of the jobs in basic industries.
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Author
Caitlin Mazur is a freelance writer at Zippia. Caitlin is passionate about helping Zippia’s readers land the jobs of their dreams by offering content that discusses job-seeking advice based on experience and extensive research. Caitlin holds a degree in English from Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, PA.
