Food, gardening, farming, and scientific experimentation are a few ideas that come together in this job. Ready to roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty? As a soil and plant scientist, you'll handle tasks like creating and processing new food products (such as grains that animals eat), studying and classifying soil, managing pest control, and helping farmers improve the quality and durability of the crops they grow. You should also have excellent communication skills, as you may be expected to share your findings with colleagues and the general public in the form of written reports or oral presentations. These scientists usually work for private agricultural companies, research universities, or the government. Although much of the work is done in labs and offices, soil and plant scientists do spend time in the field (literally!) on visits to farms.