Compare A Environmental Scientist ↔ B Fire Captain

Compare with

Your route

2 moves · -$10,290 a year, Texas medians of each whole occupation, all experience levels

Gates on this route

Move 1, to Safety Specialist: no degree, license or hours gate found (O*NET 31.0 and the licensing agencies checked for this job).
Move 2, to Fire Captain: license depends on the work (Texas: paid, appointed firefighters need TCFP Structure Fire Suppression certification; the Fire Officer certificate for captains is optional under state law, though departments may require it).

Move 1 Transfer move to the side
Environmental Scientist to Safety Specialist -$12,340 Texas medians of each whole occupation, all experience levels
- O*NET lists Occupational Health and Safety Specialists as a related occupation (Supplemental); skills and knowledge profile similarity r = 0.82.
- Gates checked: no degree, license or hours gate found (O*NET 31.0 and the licensing agencies checked for this job).
- Skills to build: Systems Analysis, Systems Evaluation, Social Perceptiveness
Move 2 Transfer move to the side
Safety Specialist to Fire Captain +$2,050 Texas medians of each whole occupation, all experience levels
- O*NET lists First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers as a related occupation (Supplemental); skills and knowledge profile similarity r = 0.74 (O*NET related occupation beyond the 6 drawn laterals).
- Gates: license depends on the work (Texas: paid, appointed firefighters need TCFP Structure Fire Suppression certification; the Fire Officer certificate for captains is optional under state law, though departments may require it).

Side by side

All First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers: Texas median $81,710, $10,290 less a year than all Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health ($92,000), every experience level.

Fire Captain: 96% work more than 40 hours a week, about 9 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

$92,000-$10,290$81,710

Gates on the route: Fire Captain: license depends on the work (Texas: paid, appointed firefighters need TCFP Structure Fire Suppression certification; the Fire Officer certificate for captains is optional under state law, though departments may require it).

Outlook 2024 to 2034 whole occupation

A +15.4% Texas, 440 openings a year

B +9.6% Texas, 700 openings a year

Over 40 h a week

11%+86 pts96%

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

1.6 / 5+1.32.8 / 5

Hazardous equipment+2.39Hazardous equipment: A 1.48, B 3.87
Protective gear+2.08Protective gear: A 1.33, B 3.41
Cramped space+1.90Cramped space: A 1.27, B 3.17
Hazardous conditions+1.66Hazardous conditions: A 2.19, B 3.85
Bending or twisting+1.43Bending or twisting: A 1.39, B 2.82

Degree

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

B Most people in this job do not hold a bachelor's degree (O*NET: 2% do).

License

A 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).

B Texas: paid, appointed firefighters need TCFP Structure Fire Suppression certification; the Fire Officer certificate for captains is optional under state law, though departments may require it.

Experience

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

B Most common related work experience: none (O*NET: 27%).

Skills O*NET importance, 1 to 5

You likely have: 6

Active Listening
Critical Thinking
Speaking
Monitoring
Reading Comprehension
Complex Problem Solving

To build: 6

Management of Personnel Resources +0.76
Operations Monitoring +0.62
Instructing +0.50
Judgment and Decision Making +0.50
Service Orientation +0.50
Social Perceptiveness +0.50

Make this your goal

Save Environmental Scientist to Fire Captain 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.