If you've found yourself on this page, you're either a nerd or you just saw a gif of Neil Degrasse Tyson and decided you want to be like him (whatever that means). If you have an investigative spirit, love problem solving, and really like thinking about stars, planets, galaxies, the evolution of the universe, the infinite expansion of space, black holes, and the fact that our lives are meaningless when compared to the vastness of the universe...well then stop depressing all of us and become an astronomer already.

We get it, he's Neil Degrasse Enticing. We want to be astronomers just looking at him caressing that moonrock. (Source)

Most of an astronomer's job is looking at stuff (and making a note of all the stuff you looked at). You grab your radio or optical telescope and stare at the night sky or you use the images that equipment like the Hubble Telescope sends back from its adventures in space. If you get easily homesick, you can just focus on our solar system and crush all of us by declaring Pluto is not a planet. 

Or you can look at distant stars, galaxies, neutron stars, and black holes and finally tell us if we can time travel/if aliens do, in fact, exist.

But looking at stuff does actually require some education...and by "some," we mean all of it. You need a Ph.D. for most jobs to learn all of the analytical, critical-thinking, communication, problem-solving, and math skills you are going to need when you're looking at that star stuff. It takes time and a lot of senior scientists looking over you being all "No, don't do that, that's not how you use a telescope," or "Blah, blah, blah." At least that's what we think they said to us.

It'll also help you decide what you may want to specialize in. In other words: What kind of space nonsense you think is the illest, or whether you want to add some more physics than you already need to know to the mix (complicating your life), and become an astrophysicist. And, of course, it helps to know how to take all the stuff you observe and interpret it.

You can also get jobs with just a master's degree, but you'll ball a lot harder with more education. It's all worth it in the end for the thrill of scientific discovery...also known as an average salary of $106,000 a year. The only downside to all the cash is that you'll have very few places to spend it in the desert, which is one of the only places you'll be able to see all the stuff you need to see.

One day, you'll look through your telescope and this guy will be smiling back at you as he tells you to surrender your planet to his alien army. (Source)

Once you learn how to observe and understand how something moves, what it's made out of, how bright it is, or whatever it is your beautiful space-eyes see, you can totally give science a boost with new theories on gravity and how this whole crazy thing we like to call The Universe got started. 

Or, if you team up with some other scientists (engineers, technicians, and physicists) to create an official "Nerd Posse" as they call it in the biz, you can make advances in communications, technology, navigation, and all sorts of shenanigans. One lucky astronomer can even take some credit for those lasers in your microwave.

We know most of you scientists are worried about your night life getting all messed up, but, rest assured, most astronomers keep pretty regular nine-to-five lifestyles. You're only going to stargaze a couple times a year. 

The rest of the time, you'll be suiting up for the universities or museums where you teach/work in large research groups. As the years go on, you'll get more independence, more cash for all that research, and/or tenure. No one will be able to fire you after that. No one.

Eventually (with a bit of charisma), you could join the ranks of that saucy Neil Degrasse Tyson, his buddy, Bill Nye (The Science Guy), Albert Einstein, Carl Sagan, and Stephen Hawking. Those are literally some of the smartest people in history. No one says "Way to go, Einstein" sarcastically to an astronomer—they say it sincerely.

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