<p>This is a long post so here’s what I’m asking in short for those that dont wanna read the whole thing:</p>
<li><p>Is it possible to make a lot of money (at least 125k+) in biomed engineering?</p></li>
<li><p>Are there other jobs related to medicine besides BME and being a doctor that earn a lot of money (at least 125k+) and arent as competitive?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Please tell me this without attacking my beliefs that money is the third most important thing (besides family and friends), even more than liking your job. </p>
<h2>Thank you for your time!</h2>
<p>Hi, I’ve been trying to think of some careers as a back-up in case I dont make it into medical school, and since I’ve always enjoyed science, I thought that biomedical engineering is a natural choice for a back-up. As I found out more about the subject, I think that I would like this job more than being a doctor because I like doing more research and application than performing procedures that can screw someone up. But the problem is, I know that engineering (unless you’re a star electrical engineer or software engineer), and especially biomed has a very low ceiling in terms of pay. </p>
<p>My question is, is it possible to make at least 120k+ in biomed engineering? I’m willing to do whatever it takes, grad school, business school, etc., but can it be done? </p>
<p>I know there’s going to be some1 here who is going to say “dont worry about money, worry about liking your job” blah blah blah etc. I’ve been told that many times, but I know that I wont be able to live without owning a merecedes, and a 3 story house with all the amenities. So just tell me how much a manager or consultant or something of Bio Med Engineers earns.</p>
<p>You can work for a top biotech firm, get good stock options, help them come out with some great new drug, hope their stock skyrockets, and become a multimillionaire.</p>
<p>yes. biomedical engineering can make you tons of money. many doctors would argue that biomed engineering is where the money will be at in the next 25 years.</p>
<p>Wow you cant live off anything lower then 125k. I dont know how much money you can make but Im pretty sure that Biomed is a great degree. This country seems to be all about dieting and stuff right now. Someone in medical field should be in high demand. Medical stuff will always be in high demand.</p>
<p>Certainly if BME includes medical devices, then sales of items (besides medication/pills) such CAT scans, MRI, artificial knees and hips, etc. should be quite lucrative for the right person.</p>
<p>To the OP, I just went through that entire same thought process too...wanted to be a doctor then realized that i would probably be better suited for BME</p>
<p>In reply to rocketDA
" EE + med is most common. "</p>
<p>What about ME + med? Does this get seen a lot in the workforce as well? I am just wondering about the advantages/disadvantages of 'EE + med' or 'ME + med
'.
Thanks</p>
<p>EE + med is more for electric/opto medical instruments. ME + med would lead you more to the mechanical side of biomedical engineering such as heart valves, artificial limbs, etc.</p>
<p>i would imagine both would be seen in the workforce. there will be an increasing need for these profession over the next 20 years.</p>
<p>Biomedical engineering is and will continue to be a hot field. However, at my school, the BME degree seems too theoretical and useless based on its required cirriculum. It seems one would be better served by obtaining a more traditional engineering degree and seeking employment in the biotech industry than majoring in BME and being limited to only the biotech industry. BME is not as hard as chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, or electrical engineering just based on looking at the cirriculum.</p>
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1. Is it possible to make a lot of money (at least 125k+) in biomed engineering?
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yes. biomedical engineering can make you tons of money. many doctors would argue that biomed engineering is where the money will be at in the next 25 years.
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<p>The major issue with BME is not the demand for skilled people, it's really the supply. The truth is, while there is indeed a growing demand for skilled biomed advances, there are also a lot of people who want to become BME's, hence limiting the earning potential, especially if you just have a bachelor's degree. For the same reason, this is why people with just bachelor's degrees in biology earn so little.</p>
<p>Take a gander at the starting salaries earned by Berkeley grads and you will see that BioEngineers and Bio majors earn a relatively low salary, compared to other engineers or natural science majors.</p>
<p>I think the basic problem is simple - the biomed field is seen as a way to save lives and help mankind, and hence people can feel proud of their work in that industry. But that means that a lot of people want to do that kind of work in order to derive that feeling of satisfaction, and that means that companies can pay less and still get good people. Contrast that with, say, a grungy offshore oil platform where nobody really wants to be, and so companies have to pay very well to get people to go there. Plus, producing oil out of the ground is clearly not as satisfying as building a lifesaving device.</p>
<p>Well, the truth is, EE is far and away the most popular of all engineering disciplines, accounting for about half of all bachelor's engineering degrees granted in the US. So it is true that EE + med is more common than BME + med but just because there are more EE's to begin with. </p>
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EE + med is more for electric/opto medical instruments.
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<p>There is that. There is also the entire aspect of neurology, as the entire nervous system is basically just one long series of electric circuits.</p>
<p>I know a guy who completed his MD/PhD where his MD was earned at Harvard Medical School and his PhD was earned in EE at MIT. His research was on nerve synapses.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Biomedical engineering is and will continue to be a hot field. However, at my school, the BME degree seems too theoretical and useless based on its required cirriculum. It seems one would be better served by obtaining a more traditional engineering degree and seeking employment in the biotech industry than majoring in BME and being limited to only the biotech industry. BME is not as hard as chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, or electrical engineering just based on looking at the cirriculum.
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<p>Yup, most engineers working in medical fields (e.g., working with MDs for improving the image resolutions on MRI (signal/image processing), working Biomedicine PhDs for growing, developing a receptor/sensor for neuron transport, etc) had undergraduate degrees in EE or ME or ChemE. In their graduate school, they did more advanced, specialized study on the bio-medicine related engineering research (EE-related, or ME-related or ChemE-related). Upon getting PhDs, they entered academic/industry/government/mdecial fields for their BME related careers.</p>
<p>Every one has a different approach. But, IMO, it behooves you to have an undergraduate degree in fundamental engineering discplines like ME, EE, ChemE and later do BME related work in your graduate school. :)</p>
<p>So would a phd in neuroscience have much use in BME, or would that be useful for mainly research? And how much does the average biomedical engineer earn after grad school?</p>