Astronomer Phoenix Lawrey

What is an astronomer? An astronomer is someone who is an expert in astronomy. A typical day for an astronomer would be looking at the skies and making theories and observations about it.

Why Am I Interested? I am interest because I am a person who asks lots of questions. In this job I believe that there are SO many unanswered questions and that is what really draws me to it. I love looking at the stars and life on other planets fascinates me. I also love math and think that I would really enjoy working with numbers and learning new things for the rest of my life.

Education Path To become an astronomer I would need to get my bachelors of science degree for 4 years in University, then take your astronomy masters for 2 years. After that you’ll have to get your PhD and then your residency. You could take these courses at UBCO, UBC and UVIC. The total cost would be about $90,000 all together.

Salary/Future Outlook Starting out astronomers usually make about $38,000 a year. The top salary they could potentially reach would be about $150,000. The future outlook looks like there are few jobs as actual astronomers. There are about 200 in Canada and ¼ of them are in BC. If I want to go into astronomy, being a professor or working for a big company, such as an oil company would be easier. The reason so many astronomers work for big companies is usually because they are so good at math. You must love math and your job if you want to be an astronomer.

Working Conditions To be a professional astronomer I would need to work about 9 hours a day, 5 days a week. The risk of injury would be things like losing sleep because you may stay up some nights observing the galaxy. My job location would be in observatories or working for certain businesses such as NASA. It is a job where you must have cooperation skills to work with a team. It may be hectic sometimes, but if you’re passionate about it, then it’s worth it!

Related Occupations Observatory Scientist- They study the plant Earth and no other part of the solar system Electrical Engineer- they design new and better electronics. They also text out new devices. Optical Engineer- They use optics to solve problems and designs, they try and make things more efficient as well.

Resources http://www.canadian-universities.net/Universities/Programs/Astronomy_and_Astrophysics.html Richard Christie, astronomer and teacher at OUC Kelowna http://www.opticalres.com/gentle_introduction.html http://www.noao.edu/education/being-an-astronomer.php http://www.nikomi.net/english/astronomy/astronomy.htm