<p>Coming from a bio major, the best job prospects in the natural sciences (bio and chem mostly) are medical professions. So M.D, D.O, P.A, nursing, etc. If you are not interested in anything like medicine or if you’re a lack luster student, you should consider another major. DON’T get a Ph D in biology/chemistry. In today’s economy it’s a waste of time and money. Research isn’t possible unless you’re a high achieving student with good connections. You also have to graduate from a top school to even be considered for some research positions. Again only do bio/chem for medicine. If you want to major in something that will land you a good job, engineering, computer sciences, some business majors, and yes bio/chem if you’re interested in med school. It’s not all bad, we probably have better job prospects compared to the art history, philosophy, psychology, and women studies majors.</p>
<p>@ semiyeh. You could major in anything to become a pharmacist but a biochem degree can help because it’s easier to take the pre rec courses. But I must warn you though, pharmacy is not what it used to be. Have you talked to any pharmacists ? The ones I talked to say that they would never apply again in today’s world. I’m not trying to scare you or anything but it’s a good idea to research the field.</p>
<p>According to an internet article in The Atlantic entitled “Why Immigration is the Most Important Debate the Presidential Campaigns Aren’t Having”, New York Mayor Bloomberg and others are pushing to “Automatically grant green cards to any foreign graduates students who receive advanced degrees in the STEM area - science, technology, engineering and math.” </p>
<p>I would think that this would make it even more difficult for US citizens to find STEM employment.</p>
<p>Whoa, back up here.</p>
<p>I don’t understand where half of these people are getting off spewing these diatribes. You have to keep in mind when someone says, “Most PhD scientists are working in post grad,” that cannot be proven by any one person here, so it begs the question: how do they know? Even if they knew 200 PhD biochemistry students to the point of being told every detail about that individual’s job, that is hardly 1% of all Biochem PhD graduates. Essentially, most people here just spew out nonsense out of anger or biased information.</p>
<p>The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 35% growth in the field of Biochemistry, as well as an average of $78,000 a year for the profession. Bachelor’s graduates can expect to make roughly $30,000 a year or more as long as they make good grades and can have proper work experience. It is more Chemically based than Biology, and is sort of that branch between the two sciences that a lot of companies seek (not to mention fun.)</p>
<p>Everyone will tell you, “This career field sucks,” because there is a misconception going around that everyone who graduates college deserves $60,000 a year without experience, regardless of GPA or work ethic. All I can see is people whining about “fierce competition”, arguing that not being able to sit on your ass and make good money isn’t beneficial to your future. I consider making a 3.5+ GPA in Biochem a healthy challenge, and you know what, I can guarantee there will be job offers with that GPA + internships. Not to mention, if you discover something in your research you can start up a pharmaceutical company. Essentially, if you’re not willing to take out the trash your first few years, then you don’t deserve to be there in the first place. Getting to the top requires hard work, dedication, and moments of hardly being able to live.</p>
<p>Most importantly, do what you love. I was, for a long time, considering becoming a Chemical Engineer because of the travel and the money. While it is Chemistry based, I regretted not going into the field of Biochemistry, which I considered a much more self-fulfilling program. I loved everything about chemistry and Biology, but I did the engineering portion just for the money. You will be working for the better part of 40 years, so having a job where time flies because it’s so interesting and engaging by finding cures for diseases and unlocking the mystery of life, is better than being bored off your ass sitting at a computer regulating plants.</p>
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<p>On the other hand, I know some recent biology and chemistry graduates who are not working in anything related to biology and chemistry, much less finding cures for diseases and unlocking the mystery of life. The grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence.</p>
<p>Then there is this story: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1443645-phds-people-masters-food-stamps-3.html#post15306242[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1443645-phds-people-masters-food-stamps-3.html#post15306242</a></p>
<p>I’m not sure why everyone is saying that a Biology major will get you nowhere in life…
If you actually look at the statistics:
[Life</a>, Physical, and Social Science Occupations : Occupational Outlook Handbook : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics](<a href=“http://www.bls.gov/ooh/life-physical-and-social-science/home.htm]Life”>http://www.bls.gov/ooh/life-physical-and-social-science/home.htm)
there are multiple fields to go into after getting a BS that still pay rather well and are not impossible to find. Sure, not many of these jobs have outlooks that are incredibly great, but most have either an average or just below average outlook. For example, I want to find a career in microbiology after getting my degree, and it is projected to have a 13% increase in jobs (which is classified by the BLS as an average increase). Sure, these jobs can’t just be picked up by anybody but they are by no means nonexistent.</p>
<p>Unless you have many years of specialized experience in a very specialized field a general biology degree will not get your anthing. Perhaps a lab technician job.</p>
<p>That artile seems out of date. A BS in just about any science will almost never get you a scientist position. You will almost always be a technician. Most technicians have BS’s now a days not AS’s anymore.</p>
<p>The median pay is a bit inflated unless they are including people with 10+ years experience. A technician position will get you $12-20 per hour typically without benefits as companies keep them as permatemps to avoid employer laws and paying benefits.</p>
<p>Finally the BLS employment data is a bit misleading. They tend to quote unemployment in such a way that it looks far far better than it really is.</p>
<p>Just looking at unemployment stats at the height of the recession 10% that would look at first glance that hey 90% of the people are employed so noone should be out of work very long. It doesn’t reflect the large number of underemployed or those who have left the labor force entirely.</p>
<p>A more realistic survey done by the ACS on chemistry grads showed that while unemployment was 15-20% only 40% had full time jobs, and of that 40% half were working low paying dead end technician jobs in academia.
[Chemjobber:</a> Well, that’s not good news](<a href=“http://chemjobber.blogspot.com/2011/03/well-thats-not-good-news.html]Chemjobber:”>Chemjobber: Well, that's not good news)</p>
<p>I can tell you that biology is worse not better than chemistry for finding a job. I have a very strong biology background but I never even bothered with it much as my chem background was 10 fold more successful at getting a job which isn’t saying much as my last job search was a 3 year gueling nightmare with a graduate degree. Also a large number of biology jobs prefer chemists because they typically have better lab and instrument skills.</p>
<p>I graduated in 2011 with a BS in biology. I made ~14k in my year off through various **** job agencies (including a position with fortune 500 pharma). I had previous internship experience and a fairly solid GPA. Sschoe isn’t lying. Most jobs for BS/MS level people are terrible $12-20/hr lab tech jobs with no benefits. Occasionally I do see analytical chemistry positions willing to hire new grads for ~40k though, so if you can get an internship in an analytical chemistry related field you may do all right. Chemical/petroleum engineering can pay very well if you’re willing to relocate to Oil and Gas rich areas. Pharma might be dead, but these areas certainly are not. Even with the projected flat growth for chemE, there has always been a shortage and new grads still get 60k+ right out of school in many cases.</p>
<p>Here’s another suggestion for those interested more in biology. I’m currently doing a clinical laboratory science internship. I’d like to apply to medical school and become a pathologist, but am also very realistic and want a backup (I’ve seen people with 3.5 gpas and 30+ MCATs rejected across the board). This field isn’t amazing, but the work from what I’ve seen in my lab rotations is significantly less repetitive than standard lab tech positions and pays quite a bit better. Going entry-level rates are usually ~40-70k (the high end being in CA which has more restrictive licensure requirements) and include benefits. Lab Managers/directors do pull solid salaries; these positions do obviously require lots of experience and often MBAs/MHAs as well however. People in bio/chem majors with interest in becoming high level hospital administrators, physicians or PAs should consider this as a major. The caveat is it takes most ppl five years rather than 4 to graduate as the internships are very intensive.</p>
<p>Majoring in nursing also isn’t a bad idea if you like medicine. You could certainly take the prerequisites and apply to medical/PA school and have a solid backup if your plan fails. </p>
<p>If you want to do real research in Biology definitely try for the MD/DO with a residency in oncology/pathology or something along those lines. Pharmaceutical/Biotech sometimes hire these people to work in physician-type roles monitoring clinical trials. You could probably focus on cancer drug trials if you wanted or a whole other host of interesting research roles. Of course job security is still pitiful compared to private practice, but the option to do cutting edge research and pass drugs to benefit mankind exists. Very few companies hire biologists to do pure biological research from what I’m aware. A lot of the industry related research occurs at the interfaces of the field in bioinformatics or biomedical engineering (will require advanced degrees). Most pure biology research occurs in academia (and we all know the job market there :-/)</p>