Foresters build complex problem solving, judgment and decision making and coordination skills that carry over to other work. Below are 25 careers ranked by how closely their skills match, with pay from BLS May 2025. The closest match is Brownfield Redevelopment Specialists and Site Managers (89%).
Updated October 2026 · Data: O*NET 31.0 and BLS OEWS May 2025 · How we match careers
Sorted by skill match.
| # | Career | Skill match | Median pay | Pay change | Extra education |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brownfield Redevelopment Specialists and Site Managers | 89% | $141,900Pay for the broader BLS group “Managers, All Other” | Not compared | None |
| 2 | Environmental Restoration Planners | 85% | $82,220Pay for the broader BLS group “Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health” | Not compared | Graduate degree |
| 3 | Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health | 82% | $82,220 | +8% | None |
| 4 | Environmental Engineers | 77% | $107,110 | +40% | None |
| 5 | Water Resource Specialists | 76% | $167,220Pay for the broader BLS group “Natural Sciences Managers” | Not compared | None |
| 6 | Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers | 73% | $106,220 | +39% | None |
| 7 | Petroleum Engineers | 72% | $144,910 | +90% | None |
| 8 | Environmental Compliance Inspectors | 72% | $80,730Pay for the broader BLS group “Compliance Officers” | Not compared | None |
| 9 | Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors | 72% | $115,160 | +51% | None |
| 10 | Hydrologists | 71% | $96,600 | +26% | None |
Compared with Foresters, median $76,400. Skill match is our estimate (0–99) from O*NET 31.0 skills, knowledge, work activities and interests, adjusted for preparation and big pay drops. Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025, national median.
How important each skill is in work as foresters (O*NET importance, scale 1–5).
The gaps that show up most often across your top 10 matches.
Free and low-cost training: use the CareerOneStop training finder below.
A concrete first step, the skills to add, and the hard parts of each job, from O*NET 31.0 education, training and work context data.
89% skill match · $141,900 (broader BLS group)
Quality Control Analysis · Coordination · Operations Analysis
85% skill match · $82,220 (broader BLS group)
Programming · Technology Design
82% skill match · $82,220 · +8% pay
Programming · Quality Control Analysis · Technology Design
If you want to stay close to what you do now, these roles are the nearest.
The closest matches are Brownfield Redevelopment Specialists and Site Managers (89% skill match, median $141,900), Environmental Restoration Planners (85% skill match, median $82,220) and Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health (82% skill match, median $82,220), based on O*NET 31.0 data and BLS May 2025 pay.
Among the 25 matches, 10 pay more than foresters at the median. The biggest increases: Petroleum Engineers (+90%, $144,910), Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors (+51%, $115,160) and Environmental Engineers (+40%, $107,110).
23 of the 25 matches usually need no more education than you have now, based on O*NET Job Zones. 2 usually need a graduate degree: Environmental Restoration Planners and Industrial Ecologists.
We compare the importance of skills, knowledge, work activities and interests in O*NET 31.0 for your job and every other career, then adjust for extra preparation and big pay drops. The full method is on our Methodology page.