What it pays
Government survey numbers — not estimates, not ads.
Half of all Computer and Information Research Scientists in the U.S. earn more than $140,300 a year — the middle 80% land between $82,200 and $230,630. About 37,200 people in the U.S. do this work. Figures are for the U.S. occupation group “Computer and Information Research Scientists”. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics survey, published 2025.) In India, Professionals earn about ₹38,298 a month on average — around ₹4.6 lakh a year (government PLFS survey via ILOSTAT, occupation-family figure).
$140,300typical pay / year
37,200people in this work
$230,630+top 10% earn
₹4.6 lakha year in India (family avg)
Think you get this job?Six quick questions on how it really works — with a hint and the reason behind every answer.
Test yourself →The work, task by task
These are the real jobs-to-be-done, not a wish list. Each task shows where we found it, and the prompt underneath is written for that exact task.
Analysing4
Examine computer hardware
+Inspect the rack servers and desktop workstations in Bay A for physical faults, record serial numbers and…
Examine computer hardware
+Inspect the rack servers and desktop workstations in Bay A for physical faults, record serial numbers and warranty status, log any maintenance performed today, photograph damaged ports, and prepare a customer-facing repair summary for James Cole by Thursday.
The tools that do the workAnsibleESCOjob descriptionsO*NETWikipedia
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Test computer hardware
+Run the full diagnostic suite against the ten loaner laptops allocated to Project Orion, document failing…
Test computer hardware
+Run the full diagnostic suite against the ten loaner laptops allocated to Project Orion, document failing components and test outputs, replace any faulty drives found, update each unit's maintenance record, and email the test reports to Sofia Ramos by end of day.
The tools that do the workApache SparkESCOjob descriptionsWikipedia
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Consult with users and management
+Schedule a one-hour consultation with the analytics team and Operations lead to gather user pain points about…
Consult with users and management
+Schedule a one-hour consultation with the analytics team and Operations lead to gather user pain points about workstation reliability, summarise requests and constraints, propose three support options, and send the notes and recommended next steps to Priya Patel within 48 hours.
The tools that do the workApache Kafkajob descriptionsO*NET
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Evaluate project plans for feasibility
+Review the proposed edge-deployment plan for 150 workstations, assess cabling, power, cooling and spare parts…
Evaluate project plans for feasibility
+Review the proposed edge-deployment plan for 150 workstations, assess cabling, power, cooling and spare parts requirements, confirm feasibility within the current maintenance budget, and return a red/amber/green recommendation with cost estimates to Marcus Lee by Friday.
The tools that do the workAmazon Elastic Compute Cloud EC2job descriptionsO*NET
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Learning1
Develop and interpret organizational policies
+Draft a clear policy on hardware lifecycle and repair prioritisation that aligns with current warranties and…
Develop and interpret organizational policies
+Draft a clear policy on hardware lifecycle and repair prioritisation that aligns with current warranties and budget limits, include escalation steps for critical servers, circulate to IT managers and procurement for comment, and finalise the policy by next Monday.
The tools that do the workApache Hadoopjob descriptionsO*NET
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Make1
Create new computing languages and tools
+Prototype a small scripting language and accompanying toolchain to standardise hardware diagnostics output,…
Create new computing languages and tools
+Prototype a small scripting language and accompanying toolchain to standardise hardware diagnostics output, implement parsers for existing test logs, run the prototype on five machines, and deliver the examples and README to the tools team next Wednesday.
The tools that do the workApache Airflowjob descriptionsWikipedia
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The daily work14
Participate in multidisciplinary projects
+Join the materials, mechanical and software teams this Wednesday to review the embedded sensor spec, confirm…
Participate in multidisciplinary projects
+Join the materials, mechanical and software teams this Wednesday to review the embedded sensor spec, confirm which maintenance logs we will capture for each prototype, and note what customer-facing repair guidance we must draft after tests.
The tools that do the workApache Kafkajob descriptionsO*NET
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Collaborate with scientists and engineers
+Meet Anna the lead physicist and Miguel the senior firmware engineer on Monday to walk through the diagnostic…
Collaborate with scientists and engineers
+Meet Anna the lead physicist and Miguel the senior firmware engineer on Monday to walk through the diagnostic output, agree how we translate that into customer repair notes, and decide which hardware specs need tightening before the next bench run.
The tools that do the workApache Sparkjob descriptionsWikipedia
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Formulate mathematical models of problems
+Draft a compact mathematical model by Friday that links failure rate to mean time between interventions, list…
Formulate mathematical models of problems
+Draft a compact mathematical model by Friday that links failure rate to mean time between interventions, list assumptions about connector tolerances and signal noise, and attach sample maintenance records that test the model.
The tools that do the workApache Hadoopjob descriptionsWikipedia
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Assign or schedule tasks to meet work priorities and goals.
+Set the week's priorities and assign shifts by tomorrow: who will record maintenance interventions, who will…
Assign or schedule tasks to meet work priorities and goals.
+Set the week's priorities and assign shifts by tomorrow: who will record maintenance interventions, who will update customer repair FAQs, and who will check component spec sheets against incoming failures.
The tools that do the workApache AirflowO*NET
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Develop performance standards, and evaluate work in light of established standards.
+Create performance standards this month for time-to-acknowledge repairs, accuracy of hardware specs, and…
Develop performance standards, and evaluate work in light of established standards.
+Create performance standards this month for time-to-acknowledge repairs, accuracy of hardware specs, and completeness of maintenance logs, then evaluate last quarter's records against those thresholds and report shortfalls.
The tools that do the workApache HiveO*NET
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Direct daily operations of departments, coordinating project activities with other departments.
+Coordinate operations with procurement and support today: map who handles incoming hardware, who logs…
Direct daily operations of departments, coordinating project activities with other departments.
+Coordinate operations with procurement and support today: map who handles incoming hardware, who logs interventions, and how we escalate customer repair queries so cross-department actions are clear for the week.
The tools that do the workApache CassandraO*NET
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Publish research findings in scientific journals
+Submit the final manuscript, figures, and data appendix to the selected peer-reviewed journal, include the…
Publish research findings in scientific journals
+Submit the final manuscript, figures, and data appendix to the selected peer-reviewed journal, include the cover letter describing methods and significance, list Sarah Kim and Dr. Patel as corresponding authors, and request first-review by next Wednesday.
The tools that do the workApache AirflowWikipedia
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Replace damaged components and parts
+Order and install the specified replacement board and connector for Lab workstation A12, record batch numbers…
Replace damaged components and parts
+Order and install the specified replacement board and connector for Lab workstation A12, record batch numbers and serials in the maintenance log, run post-repair diagnostics, and notify the equipment owner Marcus Ruiz when service is complete.
The tools that do the workApache KafkaESCO
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Participate in staffing decisions and direct training of subordinates.
+Decide staffing for the diagnostics team: keep Maria and Jamal, recruit one mid-level technician with PCB…
Participate in staffing decisions and direct training of subordinates.
+Decide staffing for the diagnostics team: keep Maria and Jamal, recruit one mid-level technician with PCB repair experience, schedule two weeks of hands-on training starting June 1, and assign me to run the first three sessions and evaluate competency after each.
The tools that do the workAnsibleO*NET
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Approve, prepare, monitor, and adjust operational budgets.
+Approve the Q3 operational budget for ICT maintenance, allocate 25 percent to spare parts, 15 percent to…
Approve, prepare, monitor, and adjust operational budgets.
+Approve the Q3 operational budget for ICT maintenance, allocate 25 percent to spare parts, 15 percent to contractor repairs, hold a review meeting with finance on Friday at 10am, and prepare to reforecast if repair spend exceeds plan by more than 10 percent.
The tools that do the workApache HiveO*NET
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Improve the use of existing technology
+Improve field tech efficiency by extending remote diagnostic access, pilot a mobile checklist for repairs…
Improve the use of existing technology
+Improve field tech efficiency by extending remote diagnostic access, pilot a mobile checklist for repairs with three technicians for four weeks, collect time-per-job and first-time-fix rates, then report recommended changes and ROI to procurement.
The tools that do the workApache Kafkajob descriptions
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Determine computing needs and system requirements
+Survey current hardware and support tools, set minimum CPU, RAM, and connectivity requirements for service…
Determine computing needs and system requirements
+Survey current hardware and support tools, set minimum CPU, RAM, and connectivity requirements for service laptops to ensure on-site repair capability, estimate procurement volume for the next 12 months and share specs with purchasing by Monday.
The tools that do the workAmazon Elastic Compute Cloud EC2job descriptions
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Monitor networks for security and availability
+Set up continuous monitoring for our branch networks, alert on latency above 200ms or packet loss above 2…
Monitor networks for security and availability
+Set up continuous monitoring for our branch networks, alert on latency above 200ms or packet loss above 2 percent, assign on-call rotation, and send weekly availability and incident summaries to IT security and operations leads.
The tools that do the workApache Kafkajob descriptions
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Analyze data to extract meaningful insights
+Run an analysis of the past year of maintenance records to identify top three failure modes, correlate them…
Analyze data to extract meaningful insights
+Run an analysis of the past year of maintenance records to identify top three failure modes, correlate them with device models and firmware versions, produce a one-page dashboard with recommended preventive actions for the service team.
The tools that do the workApache SparkWikipedia
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Says who?
These are the pages we read to build this. Open any of them and check us.
The logs, files & records this job keeps
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Same family of work — each with its own tasks and prompts.
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Built on public evidence: O*NET®, ESCO, Wikipedia, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, ILOSTAT. All sources & licenses
Built on public evidence: O*NET®, ESCO, Wikipedia, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, ILOSTAT. All sources & licenses