<p>I'm currently a rising senior in high school and I created this thread because i want to consider the practicality of a few majors i've been looking at. I've done rather well in high school in Biology particularly molecular and cellular biology. I have a passion for molecular biology and my ideal career would involve me working in a lab, free to explore in my experimentation.
I have very little knowledge as to the current job market for majors like molecular genetics, etc. I understand these are kind of general questions but,
How competitive is the current job market for molecular biology grads? Is there a large demand for that field relative to other sciences? What does the salary of a molecular biology grad look like by the time he has a pretty solid standing in this career (like age 35-40)?
Lastly, i'm aware that Berkeley has two of the best programs in the world in its chemistry and biology departments. Does this necessarily mean that a grad from one of these departments would have a much better chance at getting high paying job than a grad at a lesser school?</p>
<p>From what I’ve heard, most biology/chemistry undergrads end up as research assistants that don’t really pay that much, regardless of school. Most undergrads need to get their masters or doctorate before they can really start making money, although I’m not sure how much they actually make. You should check this website out: <a href=“https://career.berkeley.edu/Major/Major.stm[/url]”>https://career.berkeley.edu/Major/Major.stm</a></p>
<p>But, this is only if you REALLY want to stick with chem/bio. If you just care about money and do really well in a hard science then you can probably get hired by a top consulting firm or ibank and make $80k-$150k per year.</p>
<p>^If you like biology/chemistry and want a solid career, maybe try chemical/biomolecular engineering or biomedical engineering? I’m not sure about this since I’m in Electrical Engineering & Computer Science but it seems generally any engineering field will give you a good career if you study hard and do a lot of internships before your first degree and with job experiences afterwards and a graduate engineering degree, you should be earning a nice income by the time you hit 35. Obviously I’m just speculating and could be dead wrong.</p>
<p>^Also if you like chem/bio, maybe going to med school/dental school/ pharm school, will also earn you nice salaries</p>
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<p>But those jobs mainly look at math, statistics, and physics majors, not biology and chemistry majors.</p>
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<p>However, getting into medical school is quite difficult. Most of those who start as pre-meds do not get into any medical school. The fact that most of the pre-meds major in biology likely means that the majority who do not get into medical school end up flooding the job market for biology type jobs.</p>
<p>Note that molecular and cell biology is the largest major on the Berkeley campus.</p>
<p>If you like chemistry, consider majoring in chemical engineering instead – it has much better job and career prospects than chemistry, according to the career survey. (It has also been rebranded as “chemical and biomolecular engineering” with a biology course added to the curriculum.)</p>
<p>I think that to do well in research in a lab as a bio/chem guy, you need to go to grad school and get a Phd. For engineering on the other hand, I am expecting a $80k+ salary straight out of undergrad. Most engineers find good jobs easily, with a gpa of ~3.3 </p>
<p>Some EECS guys have been known to get 100k jobs…sigh~</p>
<p>^^ Where’s your data from?</p>
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<p>I’m sure some do, but a more realistic average is lower according to the [career</a> survey](<a href=“https://career.berkeley.edu/Major/Major.stm]career”>https://career.berkeley.edu/Major/Major.stm) for 2010 graduates:</p>
<p>Bioengineering: $51,192 (16% still seeking employment)
Chemical Engineering: $63,536 (3% still seeking employment)
Civil and Environmental Engineering: $42,000 (20% still seeking employment) (since the latest downturn hit construction hard)
EECS: $73,045 (7% still seeking employment)
Engineering Science: $66,250 (13% still seeking employment)
IEOR: $57,233 (12% still seeking employment)
MSE: N/A (11% still seeking employment)
Mechanical Engineering: $62,863 (17% still seeking employment)
Nuclear Engineering: N/A
L&S CS: $76,733 (6% still seeking employment)</p>
<p>That’s still quite a bit better than what biology majors find after graduation:</p>
<p>Integrative Biology: $42,375 (22% still seeking employment)
Molecular and Cell Biology: $40,398 (15% still seeking employment)
Nutritional Sciences: $33,400 (6% still seeking employment)</p>
<p>the survey is flawed though, but it gives you a good idea of what everyone is doing.</p>
<p>What kind of starting salary could a PhD in Molecular Biology expect?</p>