Museum Technicians and Conservators 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 Historians (67%).
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 | Historians | 67% | $76,750 | +49% | None |
| 2 | Geological Technicians, Except Hydrologic Technicians | 62% | $53,350 | +4% | None |
| 3 | Set and Exhibit Designers | 58% | $75,240 | +46% | None |
| 4 | Molecular and Cellular Biologists | 58% | $98,920Pay for the broader BLS group “Biological Scientists, All Other” | Not compared | None |
| 5 | Geneticists | 57% | $98,920Pay for the broader BLS group “Biological Scientists, All Other” | Not compared | None |
| 6 | Soil and Plant Scientists | 57% | $78,850 | +53% | None |
| 7 | Materials Scientists | 57% | $117,790 | +129% | None |
| 8 | Biochemists and Biophysicists | 57% | $127,410 | +148% | None |
| 9 | Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers | 57% | $101,920 | +98% | None |
| 10 | Hydrologists | 56% | $96,600 | +88% | None |
Compared with Museum Technicians and Conservators, median $51,440. 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 museum technicians and conservators (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.
67% skill match · $76,750 · +49% pay
Operations Analysis · Persuasion
No work-context factor stands out as unusually hard in O*NET data.
62% skill match · $53,350 · +4% pay
Operations Monitoring · Operation and Control · Equipment Selection
58% skill match · $75,240 · +46% pay
Operations Analysis · Time Management · Management of Financial Resources
If you want to stay close to what you do now, these roles are the nearest.
The closest matches are Historians (67% skill match, median $76,750), Geological Technicians, Except Hydrologic Technicians (62% skill match, median $53,350) and Set and Exhibit Designers (58% skill match, median $75,240), based on O*NET 31.0 data and BLS May 2025 pay.
Among the 25 matches, 19 pay more than museum technicians and conservators at the median. The biggest increases: Astronomers (+150%, $128,820), Biochemists and Biophysicists (+148%, $127,410) and Materials Scientists (+129%, $117,790).
25 of the 25 matches usually need no more education than you have now, based on O*NET Job Zones.
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.