What has the best job outlook: Bio/chem/pharmacology?

College Majors Science Majors
1

<p>Hey guys.</p>

<p>Im currently a CC sophomore and planning on transferring to either UCSB or UCSD. I can get into UCSD because of UniversityLinks and my desired major is Nano:ChemE.</p>

<p>I cant, however, get into UCSB for engineering because I havent even started the Physics Mehcanics and Electricity and Magnetism classes yet. I can get in as Biochem/Chem/Bio/Pharmacology major because you get into the UCSB as a premjor if you havent finished the prereqs.</p>

<p>I really have a problem choicing between these. What major do you think has the best job outlook?</p>

2

<p>I wanted to ask about the difference between pharmacy school and pharmacology.</p>

3

<p>I’d take none of the above. Can you switch to engineering after you get in to UCSB. Otherwise you will need to plan on going to a healthcare professional school.</p>

<p>Pharmacology similar to toxicology looks at the effects, transport, distribution, metabolization and excretion of drugs and drug candidates. You’d be probably working for a pharma company which if you read any of the headlines is not a good idea as they have been destroyed by the patent cliff and have been laying off droves of scientists and exporting jobs to China and India. I wouldn’t want to be dependent on them for a living. </p>

<p>Pharmacy school you learn some pharmacology but also classes of drugs, what they are used for, interactions, the job is filling prescriptions anwsering questions and double checking to make sure the doctors didn’t prescribe something that will kill the patient.</p>

4

<p>@sschoe2</p>

<p>Im afraid that is not possible. </p>

<p>Are the biology jobs and chemistry jobs nonexistent atm?</p>

5

<p>Chem E is much better. UCSD is a great school.</p>

6

<p>OP - sschoe2 never has anything good to say about the sciences as a career. Take it with a grain of salt.
I think which one is best depends on what you want to do with your degree.</p>

7

<p>Then I’d consider a different college. I’d rather have an engineering degree from a lower tier U than a biochemistry degree from a top tier.</p>

8

<p>As a worst case scenario you could major in chemistry, take the engineering and physics courses then get an MSc in Chemical engineering or just go into healthcare professional school. But I think it would be best to find away to get an engineering undergrad even if it means choosing a different school.</p>

<p>Science jobs aren’t worth getting a degree for.</p>

9

<p>sschoe2,
What do you personally find wrong with the science degrees?</p>

<p>And also there are more majors with premajor opinions I found:
mathematics, accounting/economics, microbiology, earth science(geophysics emphasis) [Im intrigued by this one]</p>

10

<p>That you will work your butt off to obtain the degree and wind up unemployed or working temp jobs for $15 an hour with no benefits, no raises, no career advancement, no stability. It is an insult and waste for anyone with the brains to get such a degree.</p>

<p>If this is your dream job go for it.</p>

<p>Chemist</p>

<p>Company: Aerotek Scientific<br>
Location: Skokie, Illinois Category: Scientific Jobs
Rate: $15.00 to $19.00 per Hour
Job Type: Contract-to-Hire
Posting ID: 2259381
Posting Date: 4/13/2011
Chemist Job Description:</p>

<p>One of Aerotek Scientific’s largest accounts develops and manufactures innovative healthcare products used by medical professionals and retail consumers throughout the world. They develop products such as shampoo caps, gowns, gloves and various oral care products. This group is looking for a Chemistry Laboratory Technician to join their team.</p>

<p>This individual will be conducting QC testing. They will retrieve and document all pertinent information required to verify the reliability of test results. They will need to recognize any deviation or departure from expected testing conditions or results. They will participate in instrument maintenance and perform various product/process tests for control and assurance of quality in products and processes. </p>

<p>Job Duties:

  • Conduct Quality Control tests as assigned
  • Generate test results
  • Participate in routine instrument maintenance</p>

<p>Great Company to start a career with! All interested please apply!
Required Skills for Chemist Job:</p>

<p>BACHELOR’S DEGREE IN CHEMISTRY
2-3 YEARS OF RELEVANT EXPERIENCE</p>

<p>Company: Momentum Scientific (<a href=“http://www.careerbuilder.com/JobSeeker/Companies/CompanyDetails.aspx?HHName=MomentumScientific001&s[/url]”>http://www.careerbuilder.com/JobSeeker/Companies/CompanyDetails.aspx?HHName=MomentumScientific001&s&lt;/a&gt; c<em>cmp1=JS</em>JobDetails_CoLogoLink - broken link) Base Pay: $14.00 - $20.00 /Hour Other Pay:
Employee Type: Full-Time Industry: Biotechnology
Pharmaceutical Manages Others: No Job Type: Biotech
Pharmaceutical
Science Required Education: 4 Year Degree Required Experience: Not Specified Required Travel: None Relocation Covered: No Reference ID: 407195 </p>

<p>Must have a BS or MS in Chemistry, Biochemistry, or related science.
Experience with HPLC, GC, MS and other analytical instrumentation is helpful.
Experience with organic synthesis is helpful.
Experience from industry or academic research and development environment is helpful. </p>

<p>Job Code : CHEM
Job Type : Full Time
Shift/Hours : Rotating
Category : Biotech/Clinical/R&D/Science
Career Level : Experienced (Non-Manager)
Education : Bachelor’s Degree
Compensation : From 12.00 To 18.00 USD Per Hour
Location : Memphis TN US 38109</p>

<p>Job Description :
Kelly Services has several openings for experienced Chemists. These are contract positions that have the possibility of leading to full-time hire. Bachelors Degree required. Please email your resume to 5689@kellyservices and put the work “Chemist” in the subject line.</p>

<p>626456, Segula Technologies inc
Sector: Scientific
Job Function: Other Scientific
Job Type: Permanent
Location: Webster</p>

<p>Role:
Seeking entry level chemistry candidates for contract to hire opportunity in Webster, NY! Candidates must be willing to work weekly rotational shifts. Candidates must have reliable transportation and the ability to pass drug/background testing. Bachelors of Chemisty, Chemical Engineering, Biology or related required.
Benefits:
$18.05 an hour w-2
Posted: 10.08.2011 Expires: 07.09.2011</p>

<p>Posted Date: 7/14/2011 Job Category: Scientific Position Title: QC Chemist Salary Range: 17.00 - $19.00 Location: Southeast Kansas City Metro Desired Skills: Description: Seeking candidates for this temp-to-hire opportunity. Hours are 2nd shift 4pm-2:30am Tuesday-Friday, with some flexibility for overtime as needed.
Job Summary:
QC Chemist is responsible for quality checks, testing, analysis and troubleshooting of any issues related to production.
Responsibilities:
Testing pH, viscosity, total solids, anionic titrations, optical brightener via UV-VIS and HPLC
Troubleshoot issues that arise and make batch adjustments when necessary
Perform raw ingredient comparisons to standard and verify accuracy of incoming materials
Perform quality packaging checks including fill weight control, cap torque, leak tests and finished product inspections.
Requirements:
BS Chemistry
Minimum 2-3yrs experience with HPLC
Laboratory experience
Excellent oral & written communication skills
Excellent computer skills</p>

11

<p>At the high end of that - the salary is $38K - in the suburbs - if you only work 40 hours - assuming you work some OT - you would make $42K+ - first year out of school - that is not terrible. First year engineers in the suburbs if Illinois start at about $45K (and probably work 50+ hours a week).</p>

12

<p>Keep in mind that as a temp you don’t even get sick leave, they won’t offer any career development, you won’t get a raise, the company will do everything possible to alienate you to avoid being sued like Microsoft. In other professions you can expect to progress in your career get raises and promotions. In science you can expect to bounce from lousy temp job to temp job stagnating and getting more impoverished untill you leave the field or reach your 40’s and never get hired again due to rampant age discrimination.</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Chemist/Salary[/url]”>http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Chemist/Salary&lt;/a&gt;
Chemist stats
Years of Experience </p>

<p>Less than 1 year 10%
1-4 years 51%
5-9 years 21%
10-19 years 12%
20 years or more 5%</p>

<p>most plausible interpretation most chemists give up on making a career of science within 5 years of graduation</p>

13

<p>Any competent engineer will not be in the mid $40k’s (which is a real lowball the median starting for many engineer is ~$55-65k) for more than a year and will be pushing $80k+ in a short amount of time.</p>

<p>Any decent scientist will leave the field after more than a few years of this $15/hour permatemp crap and either go into teaching, healthcare professional school, or dump the field completely.</p>

14

<p>Wow thanks man. So I’m guessing for most bio related majors(except probably healthcare) the job outlook is bleak?</p>

<p>Thanks for the advice. Would you say being a geophysicist the same thing?ChemE is my main priority but the earth science (geophysics emphasis) looks interesting too. </p>

<p>It seems fun to work in the field</p>

15

<p>Your job posting is from 2011. The job market is significantly different now. Also, I recruit engineers and if you do a salary survey for a mechanical engineer with 3-5 yrs experience you will see a salary range of 60-75k. Entry level engineers from middle tiers schools will start between 45-50k.</p>

16

<p>With an undergrad degree in the sciences, yes, the job outlook is not great. There are some decent jobs out there, but they are hard to find and hard to get (but of course sschoe2 wouldn’t show us anything like that). If you want to have a career in the sciences, though, go in with the expectation that you will have to go to graduate school.</p>

17

<p>Yep it is 2013 the market for Chemists is much different now</p>

<p>Company: Aerotek Scientific<br>
Location: Cleveland, Ohio
Category: Scientific Jobs
**Rate: $10.00 to $12.00 per Hour <a href=“would%20you%20like%20fries%20with%20those%20results”>/B</a>
Job Type: Contract-to-Hire
Posting ID: 2953193
Posting Date: 11/19/2013 Allegis Group Family of Hiring Companies </p>

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<p>Entry Level Chemist Job Description:
Aerotek Scientific is currently seeking entry-level chemist with a background in sciences.</p>

<p>Requirements:
-BS Degree in Chemistry, Biology or other Science
-Basic analytical testing.
-QC testing ability/knowledge.
-Documentation & Data Analysis.</p>

<p>Qualified candidates that MEET these requirements should apply directly to job posting.</p>

<p>Required Skills for Entry Level Chemist Job:
■CHEMISTRY
■LAB TECHNICIAN
■LAB TEST INSTRUMENTS
■LAB TEST
■BIOLOGICAL SCIENCE
About Aerotek Scientific:
Join Aerotek Scientific®LLC, one of the fastest growing providers of scientific and clinical research services in the nation. Due to our growth, we’re constantly on the lookout for qualified professionals to place in contract, contract-to-hire, and permanent placement positions across the scientific and clinical research communities. At Aerotek Scientific, we know it’s more than just your day-to-day responsibilities that can make or break a job. It’s the support you get. That’s the reason Aerotek Scientific offers a variety of benefits including medical, dental, optical, 401k, and many more. Don’t put your career in the hands of just anyone, put it in the hands of a specialist. Join the Aerotek Scientific team! Allegis Group and its subsidiaries are equal opportunity employers and will consider all applications without regard to race, marital status, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability or any other characteristic protected by law.</p>

18

<p>I worked as a Biochemist recently before medical school and the job market for Biologist/Chemist hasn’t gotten any better. You will work your butt off and waste so much time and money for little merit. Your supervisor will usually move up people they can talk sports or shopping with all day or if they are sleeping with them as you continue to move farther down in your career. No advancement, no benefits, no life, no hope. If you want to major in the sciences, do not stop with a BS.</p>

19

<p>JBoylover
What did u do as a biochemist?</p>

<p>Thanks for all the replies btw guys. I am really in a dilemma. I do really want a job, but the Social Aspect of UCSB is really intriguing. I mean I don’t want to party hard 24/7 but I have strict parents and want to experience life a little:]</p>

<p>But isn’t a environmental degree like earth science (geophysics) ok? I mean it’s more on the engineering side of things</p>

20

<p>Geophysics has relatively good job prospects, but you’ll probably want a Master’s.</p>

<p>From what I’ve read, with Geology you can go into oil and gas exploration (currently boom but it’s very cyclical), mineral exploration (somewhat competitive), or environmental work (you could get a masters in something like hydrology or environmental science.)</p>

<p>Again, stopping at the bachelor’s will leave you without the best of job prospects, or at least not the best paying jobs. I’m currently only a third year but I’ve researched this a lot as I’m trying to become a Hydrologist.</p>

<p>Oh, and UCSB is a great school. Don’t let the party reputation fool you; you’ll get a quality education while still having a great college experience.</p>