Compare A Fire Inspector ↔ B Environmental Scientist

Compare with

Your route

2 moves · +$9,610 a year, Texas medians of each whole occupation, all experience levels

Gates on this route

Move 1, to Safety Specialist: bachelor's degree (O*NET: most in Safety Specialist hold one).
Move 2, to Environmental Scientist: no degree, license or hours gate found (O*NET 31.0 and the licensing agencies checked for this job).

Move 1 Transfer move to the side
Fire Inspector to Safety Specialist -$2,730 Texas medians of each whole occupation, all experience levels
- O*NET lists Occupational Health and Safety Specialists as a related occupation (Primary-Long); skills and knowledge profile similarity r = 0.80.
- Gates: bachelor's degree (O*NET: most in Safety Specialist hold one).
- Skills to build: Operations Analysis, Systems Analysis, Systems Evaluation
Move 2 Transfer move to the side
Safety Specialist to Environmental Scientist +$12,340 Texas medians of each whole occupation, all experience levels
- O*NET lists Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health as a related occupation (Primary-Long); skills and knowledge profile similarity r = 0.82 (O*NET related occupation beyond the 6 drawn laterals).
- Gates checked: no degree, license or hours gate found (O*NET 31.0 and the licensing agencies checked for this job).

Side by side

All Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health: Texas median $92,000, $9,610 more a year than all Fire Inspectors and Investigators ($82,390), every experience level.

Fire Inspector: 41% work more than 40 hours a week, about 3.8 times the share for Environmental Scientist (11%).

Occupation-wide pay all experience levels, not this level's pay; Texas median, base pay, $0 to $300k

$82,390+$9,610$92,000

Gates on the route: Safety Specialist: bachelor's degree (O*NET: most in Safety Specialist hold one).

Outlook 2024 to 2034 whole occupation

A +3.4% United States, 1,500 openings a year

B +15.4% Texas, 440 openings a year

Over 40 h a week

41%-30 pts11%

Physical load our index from O*NET, 1 to 5; A B; largest differences first

2.7 / 5-1.11.6 / 5

Outdoors, all weather-1.81Outdoors, all weather: A 4.33, B 2.52
Very hot or cold-1.71Very hot or cold: A 3.43, B 1.72
High places-1.36High places: A 2.52, B 1.16
Standing-1.30Standing: A 3.25, B 1.95
Cramped space-1.25Cramped space: A 2.52, B 1.27

Degree

A Most people in this job do not hold a bachelor's degree (O*NET: 4% do).

B Most people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher (O*NET: 78%).

License

A Texas: TCFP Inspector certification is required for fire inspectors employed and appointed by a fire department (approved training and exam). State Fire Marshal licenses: not checked (unreachable).

B No license for this job title at the 8 Texas and federal licensing agencies read on 2026-10-03 (TDLR, TSBPE, TCEQ, TCFP, TEA, TBPELS, NRC and EPA).

Experience

A Most common related work experience: over 1 year, up to and including 2 years (O*NET: 25%).

B Most common related work experience: over 4 years, up to and including 6 years (O*NET: 29%).

Skills O*NET importance, 1 to 5

You likely have: 6

Judgment and Decision Making
Learning Strategies
Time Management
Instructing
Social Perceptiveness
Negotiation

To build: 6

Science +2.12
Complex Problem Solving +0.88
Mathematics +0.75
Active Learning +0.63
Coordination +0.62
Reading Comprehension +0.62

Make this your goal

Save Fire Inspector to Environmental Scientist as your goal. Each step then shows the hours you have logged toward it, your exam practice and your license, with the one thing to do next and the 6 skills to build as a checklist. Free with an account.