Be Smart

If there's one job I couldn't do in a million years, it's forensic scientist. I get grossed out wiping up food stains, so despite my grudging admiration for Sara Sidle, there's no way I could hold onto my nerve (and my cookies) for long enough to swab human fluids.

But it seems a lot of women are a lot less wussy than I am. In fact, USA today reports that perhaps in part due to shows like CSI, more women are entering the field than ever before: 74% of recent graduates in forensic science are female, up from 60% just six years ago.

This is one of the few areas of science to contain a high proportion of female graduates, which is great. But it's also one of the lowest-paid science-related jobs... which is not so great.