"I have heard that it is, indeed, very difficult to find a job as an astronomer. There are only so many observatories in the world, after all. And it's not like astronomy has many practical applications in the everyday world, alas.... "<br /><br />Some misconceptions there... Not all astronomers work at observatories. In fact most don't. Most are academics at universities. That is why the median is around $88k/yr. But there are many that work at institutes (Space Telescope, CfA), working on satellites (Goddard, JPL) or at observatories (Kitt Peak). Many go off to work at private places (e.g., Lockheed Martin) on military projects. It is a tough filed ot get in because really the field produces far more PhDs then there are jobs - but that should not be a surprise to anyone entering the field or a PhD program. In fact, in my personal opinion, the field is larger then it should be due to heavy support/subsidy by NASA.