<p>I am a rising senior about to graduate with a biology degree. I originally chose biology because I knew it was something I was good at and really enjoyed during high school. I also went the pre-pharmacy track but now I am having doubts about it as the market of pharmacists is becoming overly saturated. I am extremely worried now because I don't know what I could realistically do with a biology degree (and still make a decent living) if I DON'T want to go into research. I have also looked into the other pre-health/allied health fields and nothing really interests me there either. I have done tons of google searches into what alternative career paths I can take as a biology degree and most of them seem like a joke. I have also looked into doing some sort of masters in a different field but am unsure if this is actually worth it. This is one of my biggest regrets and it is way too late to change my major. What can I do???</p>
<p>You could always look into working at a National Park. That’s where I have heard that most Biology work. Or become a veterinarian. I’m sure many of the courses overlap. And Biology would be a great major to apply to vet school with.</p>
<p>It’s true that pharmacy is less of a sure bet than it was (you can’t really just except $130k straight out of school anymore and it’s gone from a BS to a pseudo-master’s to a real Phd in the past decade), but if you’re willing to relocate you will find a job.</p>
<p>Full-time National Park/National Forest jobs with good pay are extremely competitive and they usually go to people who did part-time/volunteer work with the same service from what I have seen.</p>
<p>Any analytical ability? How about statistics/becoming a biostatistician?</p>
<p>Masters in geology related to petroleum or natural gas? </p>
<p>DO NOT get caught in the permatemp scam at biotech companies. Once you get hired as a lab tech or in a permatemp gig it is hard to get out. Soon you’ll realize you wasted 5-6 years of your life and you still don’t have health insurance, don’t own a home yet, and are still paying student loans. Even if you get hired full time in a permanent position at a biotech company, many biotechs fail because it is just the nature of the business. Having a job over for 10 years or longer at a biotech company is completely unheard of, even holding a job for 5 years at a biotech company is rare these days. Scientists are the first to be axed once things don’t pan out at a company.</p>
<p>22 is still wayyyyyy young. Boston U has a 1-2 year accelerated program to get a masters in engineering for people that don’t have undergrad degrees in engineering. It would be shorter than even a PharmD and would provide good job prospects (mechanical, chemical, computer, or electrical. Many BS/MS engineers can earn 6 figures after job experience and movement into management). Even if engineering is something you don’t really do who cares? Many people go to jobs they don’t like everyday. At least it will pay the bills.</p>
<p>I disagree with gravenewworld’s last statement. You should never go into a field that you hate, just because you make a lot of money. You don’t need 6 figures to pay the bills, a lot of people can manage and be happy with less than that. Do you really want to live the rest of your life being miserable doing something you dislike? </p>
<p>I hear a lot of students say they want to become doctors because they will make lots of money. And that’s just insulting to the profession. You should want to do it because you care about helping people, not about helping yourself. And is it really worth years of schooling and 60+ hours/week just to make a lot of money? Absolutely not.</p>
<p>You should go into something that makes you excited to wake up to go to work everyday. Or at least something that makes you not dread getting out of bed and counting the minutes until your lunch break. There are lots of different career paths for one major. Just because you majored in biology doesn’t mean your only paths are lab tech and PhD. If it is something you like, it’s your responsibility to find it and take the necessary steps to get there. </p>
<p>I’m a Biochem major, and am not interested in the medical or PhD route. But I do like being involved in science and I found a way to make that work for me. I’m getting a minor in mathematics and will go into biostatistics. Will I be making 6 figures? No, but I will be making a decent living wage and still be satisfied with what I do.</p>
<p>I disagree with jenny1penny. I graduated over last year with a degree in cell biology because it was something I wanted to do as an alternative to medical school. There were no employers in my immediate area that were willing to offer a position. This past year has sent me into a very unhealthy state of depression as I was not able to do the things I wanted to do and was not even able to spend any money. If my degree had simply been in something more employable, at least I’d be able to buy something to eat. Fighting tooth and nail for temp positions is a piece of **** when I see things on craigslist listing >6 figures for a BS degree and 1-3 years experience in some other field.</p>
<p>What do you WANT to do? Nursing? Respiratory Therapy? Physical Therapy? There are MANY programs at the local community college. You can get a certification or degree in about a year or two.</p>
<p>Zairair, I never said that lab tech positions are good positions. Actually it’s the reason I decided to minor in something a little bit more employable. The alternatives that I was talking about was more along the lines of teaching science for high school or younger, science writing, science law, bioinformatics, pharmaceutical sales, etc. Which is why I also said it is important for you to do your own research and gain additional education/training to supplement your major and make it employable. Your degree is just a piece of paper, what and how you choose to do with it is completely up to you</p>
<p>Listen to Gravenewworld. That was the EXACT description I have experienced under a crappy Biochemistry Bachelors. Even though, I had experience and connections (So I thought), that still did not work in biology and chem. Like Zairzair said, you are fighting for a position with terrible pay against the over saturated application pool consisting of med school drop outs, fresh out of college grads, med school hopefuls who never get in or who changed their mind and are now stuck with a useless degree and debt to pay off, PhD’s and Ms/BS who were fired/laid off with better resumes than me. When I saw my life deteriorating, how many years (5!) I have wasted my life, and how I didn’t move ahead in life beyond mommy and daddy’s house and dead end jobs, I had to put my foot down. I shadowed physicians, attend conferences, and volunteered at the hospital to realize I had a passion for medicine. Maybe, you should volunteer and shadow too. See the everyday life of whatever career you want to be in. That can ignite the desire inside you didn’t realize you had. I shadowed other careers too, but medicine was the best fit and I was interested in it more. You never know. It helps!</p>
<p>"@jenny1penny And is it really worth years of schooling and 60+ hours/week just to make a lot of money? Absolutely not."</p>
<p>I agree with you on that. You are only putting yourself up for failure and misery forever. Money is not everything. My last job paid more than my past jobs, but I wasn’t happy there. I was treated like crap, was discriminated against, I asked for raises and promotions because I was doing everyone’s work, went above and beyond, and had excellent reviews for 3 years, just to be told those were part of my job (which was a lie. Change of management. They gave someone who was there for a few months a promotion!). No advancement, no future, no nothing. Hard work and using my talents did not profit there but had people exploited me, plus, the work was grunty, boring, mundane, and repetitive QA/QC corporate America crap. The money and benefits were not worth it because I was bitter, caught colds often, broke out, had no life, no vacation (I was the only one who had to walk on pins and needles to get it!), and dread going back. I couldn’t live like that at all. Get a career you like or can tolerate while you can make a good living. These are careers that are not oversaturated, you have a talent for and can easily do your own thing, (trade, running business, etc) and competitive (medicine).There’s no point to life working at jobs you hate just for the money and benefits. With all the stress and depressed emotions you are facing, you might die before you can enjoy your investments. Preparing for something that might not happen. Waste of time and not worth it.</p>