Growth/salary? biotech pharmaceutical switching to biologics from small molecule R&D

College Majors Science Majors
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<p>I looked this information up but I was hoping to gather more information from here. Any new info is a plus. Apologize ahead of time that its a loaded question. within pharmaceutical and biotech, there is a big push for the development of biologics. in the past a lot of biology majors worked analytical chemist jobs. Biology job had low salary. starting at 40k. Senior biologist is $64,971. and graduate degree with 8-10 years of experience is only $99,505. That is really slow growth. Even the mean starting salary for scientist I PHD in biotech is about $85K which in low for a Phd. (how much more will the salary be in california bay area and new england area where most biotech & pharma companies are? is it about the same as the salary i listed above?) </p>

<p>Is now a good time to be a bio major? What are the major jobs in pharma & biotech? Not interested in QC and regulatory affairs. Can anyone explain to me some of the responsibilities and how they like the biologics manufacturing or Process Development Scientist Protein Purification jobs. What is protein purification scientist salary? Has and will it increase? And what major is best for pharmaceutical and biotech scientist jobs? is it molecular biology, biochem, or chemistry? How will a masters degree do in pharma & biotech? Or is a pHd pretty much necessary for growth and to see a significant increase of salary over the years? And what should i study in graduate school. There seems to be cell development, genetics, etc. Which ones do pharma and biotech employers prefer that work extensively with protein purification/cell culture/mono clonal antibodies (which seems like the big biologics of pharma and biotech)</p>

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<p>I like thinking that I am helping people that can’t be helped with small molecule pharmaceuticals. And I am glad that pharma & biotech are pushing towards the new frontier of medicine. But I have to take into account the financial situation. If biologics is the future, is the salary adjusted. Life is already tough for scientists, who more than other professions need to seek higher/more yrs of education. The pay after education needs to make up for other professions head start in the job market right after graduation.</p>

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<p>If anything things have gotten worse. Now companies don’t hire their chemists and biologists directly. They keep them as permatemps. So you start at 35-40K even with an MS and no raises no benefits and you get dumped with one phone call whenever the company feels like it and if you complain they will replace you in a second. </p>

<p>I personally have vowed that no one in my family will ever get a science degree again and I am going back for accounting.</p>

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<p>^So would you have majored in Accounting at undergrad level if you could go back in time? Or something else?</p>

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<p>I’d would have gone straight for accounting and never so much as taken a single science course.</p>