Compare A Fire Captain ↔ B Environmental Scientist

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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: bachelor's degree (O*NET: most in Safety Specialist hold one), experience: over 1 year, up to and including 2 years (O*NET, most common).
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 Captain to Safety Specialist -$2,050 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 = 0.74.
- Gates: bachelor's degree (O*NET: most in Safety Specialist hold one), experience: over 1 year, up to and including 2 years (O*NET, most common).
- Skills to build: Operations Analysis, Systems Analysis, Writing
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, $10,290 more a year than all First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers ($81,710), 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

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

Gates on the route: Safety Specialist: bachelor's degree (O*NET: most in Safety Specialist hold one), experience: over 1 year, up to and including 2 years (O*NET, most common).

Outlook 2024 to 2034 whole occupation

A +9.6% Texas, 700 openings a year

B +15.4% Texas, 440 openings a year

Over 40 h a week

96%-86 pts11%

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

2.8 / 5-1.31.6 / 5

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

Degree

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

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

License

A 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.

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: none (O*NET: 27%).

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

Active Listening
Reading Comprehension
Speaking
Critical Thinking
Coordination
Monitoring

To build: 4

Science +2.12
Mathematics +0.75
Writing +0.75
Active Learning +0.50

Make this your goal

Save Fire Captain 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 4 skills to build as a checklist. Free with an account.