<p>At my school's career fair I see many companies looking for Science majors (or all majors) for positions such as Business Analyst, Market Researcher, etc. Do many science majors end up getting a business-related job after graduation? Or is it hard to get this kind of job as a science major?</p>
<p>technical sales is a very valid business job. anyone with quantitative (not memorization, sorry bio people) skills can be a business analyst with some training. in fact its expected to have a first job in sales that need only theoretical knowledge of science and engineering (the alternative is to be a technician and make almost minimum wage).</p>
<p>Really. I am a recent Chem graduate (MSc.) and looking to transition out of science and into business. The business analyst positions I see look like they are for computer programmers or people with computational finance degrees. The list of qualifications are rather daunting. Most market research positions want finance, accounting, or economics degrees.</p>
<p>Thanks for the replies, I’m really interested in Market Researcher job now. I’m not sure if it’s worth the salary. Am I better off just sticking to Chem-related jobs?</p>
<p>sschoe2, maybe I exaggerated a bit when I said “many.” I just saw jobs posted on my school’s career service website by several companies looking for Math/Science or any other quantitative majors for that job or similar ones.</p>
<p>At my internship in a pharmaceutical plant 2 “sales engineers” came by to install a new GCMS. One majored in chemistry and the other in EE. At other times, my boss was called out to meet with sales engineers who were selling bulk precursors/solvents. you can definitely do sales and marketing as a technical major.</p>
<p>Taking a science major into the “business” world is not only possible and precedented, but in the current poor industrial research job market, it may be the best choice you can make. Tech sales, market research, clinical research, patent law…there are many examples of careers which can take you out of the lab. In the big pharmaceutical company where I work, I know of many scientists who have left research to move into clinical and regulatory affairs jobs. Without exception, their career trajectory improved in the new areas. Many major corporations are cutting back on internal research in lieu of outsourcing those jobs to India and China. However, there will always be a need for well trained scientists who can run the business.</p>
<p>I just wish I knew how to start. I have been working as almost a friggin technician the past year with no benefits. I am desperate to get out of bench work. However, the jobs I see listed for business usually ask for an accounting/finance/economics degree and/or a computer science major with programming abilities.</p>
<p>go to careerbuilder.com and enter chemical sales. it will return about 1800 jobs.</p>
<p>Requirements
Company is looking for someone with the following qualifications:</p>
<p>4 year technical degree with some college chemistry classes
Ability to work well in independent environment
Strong mechanical aptitude</p>
<p>Nah I can’t do sales, wrong personality.</p>
<p>You need to be outgoing and aggressive and hound people to death for sales.</p>
<p>Definitely. But if your choice is between starving and doing sales, the wise choice is sales. Everyone has that personality, just that some aren’t desperate enough. It’s not hounding, it’s just reminding clients of their needs.</p>
<p>“It’s not hounding, it’s just reminding clients of their needs.”</p>
<p>Hahahaha… Nicely put.</p>
<p>Starting next semester, I’m swapping my major and minor to math and physics, respectively. I realized during my current grueling Mechanics class that I don’t care to solve long, arduous physics problems. However, paradoxically enough, it seems I enjoy more the fundamentals of pure mathematics, i.e. logic, set theory, etc. I’m considering math grad school, but I’m wondering what industry jobs would be suitable for my particular interests?</p>
<p>/NeshamaMan </p>
<p>Wait, clinical research? Isn’t it like same (similar) thing as scientific research?</p>
<p>Clinical research is a fancy word for fake and useless medical research that abuse statistics to market new drugs that often kill people.</p>
<p>^Thanks for the reply. How are the job opportunity and pay though?</p>