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Know Your Worth / Career paths

1,000 paths. Find your next move.

Compare skills, employee pay, and freelance economics. Explore industries from optical and food to science, music, games, writing, and coaching.

Browse 30 sectors + cross-industry careers

481–528 of 1,000 careers

How to read these rates

Employee references are annual US median wages for the cited BLS occupation, which may cover several career paths. Freelance examples add $15,000 for benefits and $20,000 for business costs, then divide by 1,200 billable hours a year. Annual figures are rounded to the nearest $1,000 and hourly figures to the nearest dollar. Figures are before personal taxes, with no percentage fees. Open a guide to see the source or adjust the assumptions in the calculator.

Cross-industry

HR consultant

Employee reference
$76K/yr
Freelance example
$92/hr

BLS · May 2025 · Human resources specialists

An HR consultant helps an organization improve its people processes. They may clarify onboarding, performance conversations, role expectations, or employee records while working carefully with sensitive information and the organization's decision makers.

View career → HR consultant
Physical sciences

Hydrogeologist

Employee reference
$102K/yr
Freelance example
$114/hr

BLS · May 2025 · Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers

Evaluate groundwater systems using geological, hydrological, and monitoring evidence. Explain uncertainty in flow and subsurface conditions while recognizing the professional approvals needed for site-specific environmental or engineering decisions.

View career → Hydrogeologist
Design

Icon designer

Employee reference
$63K/yr
Freelance example
$82/hr

BLS · May 2025 · Graphic designers

Create small visual symbols that remain recognizable, consistent, and useful across a defined interface or communication system.

View career → Icon designer
Cybersecurity & IT

Identity Governance Analyst

Employee reference
$129K/yr
Freelance example
$137/hr

BLS · May 2025 · Information Security Analysts

Review how access ownership, approvals, and exceptions are documented across organizational roles. Reconcile records and identify review gaps while leaving actual authorization and employment decisions with responsible business and security owners.

View career → Identity Governance Analyst
Optical & photonics

Illumination Engineer

Employee reference
$123K/yr
Freelance example
$132/hr

BLS · May 2025 · Engineers, All Other

Design light distributions for products, inspection stations, or built environments. Balance useful illumination, glare, energy use, and manufacturability while documenting assumptions about surfaces and operating conditions.

View career → Illumination Engineer
Cross-industry

Implementation consultant

Employee reference
$106K/yr
Freelance example
$117/hr

BLS · May 2025 · Computer systems analysts

An implementation consultant helps a customer adopt a system in daily work. They translate requirements into configuration, migration, training, and launch steps, with attention to the people who must operate it afterward.

View career → Implementation consultant
Cybersecurity & IT

Incident Response Consultant

Employee reference
$129K/yr
Freelance example
$137/hr

BLS · May 2025 · Information Security Analysts

Help organizations prepare and coordinate responses to authorized security incidents. Clarify evidence needs, escalation paths, and decision authority while distinguishing planning support from guaranteed containment or unlimited emergency availability.

View career → Incident Response Consultant
Physical sciences

Inorganic Chemist

Employee reference
$91K/yr
Freelance example
$105/hr

BLS · May 2025 · Chemists

Study inorganic compounds and their properties within approved research settings. Connect composition, structure, and measured behavior to a clear scientific question without substituting a proposed compound for validated performance.

View career → Inorganic Chemist
Cross-industry

Instructional designer

Employee reference
$69K/yr
Freelance example
$87/hr

BLS · May 2025 · Training and development specialists

An instructional designer turns a learning need into structured practice, feedback, and assessment. The goal is to help a defined audience perform a task, rather than simply present information in a course.

View career → Instructional designer