<p>I am a junior and I am currently trying to pick between science (chemistry, biochemistry, neuroscience, etc) and engineering (chemical, nuclear) for my undergraduate major, because many colleges force you to apply to a specific school. I have already heard that I should probably start off in engineering and then transfer to science if I want to, because the prerequisites would work out better. However, I have a few questions so I can try to make a decision before I apply.</p>
<p>-If I decide to major in chemistry, would a double major with economics help me find a job? I have heard that the job market for chemists (even PhDs) is declining, so I am worried about getting a useless degree.</p>
<p>-One strategy to pick a major is to envision what job you would like to have in the future, and then work backwards from there to determine what major would help you achieve that. Do you support this approach?</p>
<p>I usually recommend this, especially for students who have no particularly strong interest in any subject. Getting a degree is a means to an end. There are a lot of other reasons that people go to college and how they choose what they want to study, but at the end of the day, you need to get a job or have some means of supporting yourself. The kind of job that you want SHOULD influence what kind of degree you get. You can get a job with any degree, but it might not be the type of job that you want (or even if the location you want to work in), which is the key part. People will tell you that pretty much every major is useless employment-wise except engineering degrees, and that’s not entirely true. Figure out what job you want and how much you’re willing to work to get there.</p>
<p>I’d recommend you start with engineering and then switch off the engineering track if you find that it’s not for you, unless you think (for whatever reason) that you won’t be accepted to the college you want to go to if you apply as an engineering major. It’s often much easier to move off the engineering track than to switch to it later and still graduate on time.</p>
<p>If you do end up majoring in engineering, I generally recommend you try to find a job before you jump straight into grad school, unless you’re going to a fully funded program. Engineering majors tend to be more employable in well-paying jobs with just a bachelor’s, and you may find that (1) you don’t need a graduate degree to get to where you want to be and (2) you may be able to find an employer that will help you fund a graduate degree.</p>
<p>So yes, it depends on what kind of job you want, where you want to work, and what you want to be doing. Get the degree that will get you to the place you want to be after college. Also, keep in mind that it’s entirely possible that the hiring market may look different in 4+ years when you start looking for a job.</p>
<p>No one pursues science to become rich, but no one should have to constantly live with terrible job prospects, permatemp jobs, and underemployment either. Pursue engineering. What are you going to do with a say a PhD in organic chemistry? Work in the pharmaceutical industry or become a real life Walter White? Pharma is moving more and more towards biologics. Drugs that require SAR and small molecule development work gets shipped overseas to Chinese and Indian CROs. It only takes a handful of chemists to link the major pieces (which took all the work) together. </p>
<p>No one hires physical chemists except academia. Analytical out of all fields in chemistry probably has the best prospects, but you have to be extremely careful what you specialize in and must become proficient in techniques that are relevant to industry.</p>