<p>I am currently at the point where i'm deciding not to go to medical school because i got a C in ochem. I can either do a Biochem major and Econ minor so i can at least i can apply to pharm school, grad school , and medical school (even though I wont get in). My main goal right now is pharm school because I heard they have excellent job security. </p>
<p>My other option is to switch to Environmental Science with a Environmental Chemistry concentration. I would be minoring in Psych because i would only have to take 3 more classes to complete the minor. I feel like this degree would be more useful, less challenging than biochem (mostly because i wouldnt be taking physical chem), and more interesting to me. </p>
<p>Should I major in Environmental Chemistry? I would end up taking Ochem 2, inorganic chem, and analytical chem plus some environmental science core courses and upper level bio courses. My question is if this is a good idea. Is a ES degree with Environmental Chemistry concentration applicable to a lot of jobs? Does it have job security and is it in demand right now?</p>
<p>My main goal is to get into pharmacy school because medical school doesnt seem realistic. Will having an ES degree with Environmental Chemistry focus from a LAC thats well known and psych minor make me stand out from the other applicants ?</p>
<p>If you are not going to professional school it is best to change majors now. The market for almost all iterations of biology and chemistry is atrocious especially at the BS only level and you will be in the same boat as people that studied useless BA’s.</p>
<p>If you are thinking pharm school I’d go with that. pharm grads are having some issues with saturation now so you may be forced to relocate to a rural area especially for your first job where the competition is not as intense.</p>
<p>Otherwise engineering, economics, accounting, HR, and other degrees have better job prospects than a straight science major.</p>
<p>Environmental science is a very broad a field that includes everything from resource management and protection to industrial stack sampling. Expect a lot of travel (more than 50%), especially at the entry level positions.</p>
<p>Pharmacy school admissions are almost as competitive these days as med school admissions. You’ll want to make sure you bone up on that OChem because you’ll need it for the PCAT. I wouldn’t expect having an ES degree to give you any advantage over the hordes of bio and biochem majors applying to pharmacy school. I always recommend majoring in the field that interests you most, partly because you’ll probably enjoy it more and do better, and partly because nobody really knows where they’ll end up in ten years anyway.</p>
<p>The MS in science isn’t really worth much. If you look at job postings they typically read either BS/MS chemist or BS chemist with 4 years experience or MS chemist with 2 years experience. The MS is just considered 2 years of experience and you would be better off working those 2 years rather than paying tuition and not working those 2 years.</p>
<p>At the PhD level it is a different ball game. One only 50% or less get the PhD once starting less in the really bad programs. Success depends heavily on finding an adviser that cares about you rather than uses you as a cheap technician and teaching assistant. Universities desperately need english speaking TA’s to teach the premeds science and PI’s need cheap labor in their labs. If you are good the professor will want to keep you there as long as possible (bad conflict of interest here) I’ve known students kept on the hook for 8 years that should have graduated in 4 (believe me I have even worse stories than this to tell you).</p>
<p>Once you’ve graduated you will find there is a huge glut of PhD’s in the sciences. Jobs are scarce at the BS/MS level and 10 fold worse at the PhD level and nearly noone will hire a PhD for a BS/MS job. As a result, most post-doc. Industry is loathe to hire a PhD without industry experience. They see PhD’s as snobby academics with no idea how the real world works (not true but that is the perception). As a result, I’d recommend working as a BS/MS level scientist for a few years in industry first. So after 5-7 years living on a $15-25k stipend you get a $35k post-doc. Most have their career dead end at this stage and are forced to do a career change around age 40 having spent 10-15 year in near poverty working slave hours in the lab.</p>
<p>See this video. It is not really even a joke.
[The</a> Simpsons - Comments about PhDs and Grad Students. [HQ] - YouTube](<a href=“- YouTube”>- YouTube)</p>
<p>Hello csh123,
you may want to join or visit the forums on student doctor network([Student</a> Doctor Network Forums | An educational community for students and doctors spanning all the health professions.](<a href=“http://■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/]Student”>http://■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/)) if you haven’t already done so. If med school is your goal, you are not cut off from it just because of one C in orgo. You will not likely be getting into a top school, but this alone doesn’t make it impossible or even very unlikely.
I have read on the site that some med students are saying that they got in after getting a couple of C grades in the core prereqs (chem or bio), because they showed an upward trend in their grades.
If chem isn’t your strong suit, do well in upper level science courses to balance it out. Research and/or get some clinical experience (volunteering/shadowing etc.).
Don’t give up on this basis. </p>
<p>And yes you will of course need the chem for the MCAT and PCAT as well, although supposedly the PCAT is far easier- this has been the opinion that I’ve seen repeated on online forums and may not be accurate. </p>
<p>As for job prospects in the sciences, it is competitive. However from my research and from what I’ve learned from actually talking to those who have been successful and already hold advanced degrees or tenure, getting the position you desire is far from impossible as some claim. The reality seems to be, again, that it is competitive.
You must do something to set yourself apart from your fellow peers and graduates.</p>
<p>What about the future? Back to Top Back to Top</p>
<p>The number of jobs for environmental scientists is expected to grow much faster than the average for all occupations through 2018. As population grows, it takes more work to keep the environment clean. Also, more people are becoming aware of environmental problems and want to fix them. Businesses and governments will also hire scientists to make sure they are following stricter environmental laws.-Bureau of Labor Statistics</p>
<p>Job Outlook / Job Forecast</p>
<p>Employment of environmental scientists and hydrologists is expected to grow much faster than the average for all occupations. Job prospects are expected to be favorable, particularly for hydrologists.-Career Planner.com</p>
<p>Sounds like a sound profession to get into. I believe the negativity from some is due to there own failures.</p>
<p>Ok so i have to declare my major this upcoming semester. Is it smart to just switch my major to Economics and minor in Biology because I have the credits for Bio? That way I can still apply to med school and pharm school, but still make a career out of my major?</p>
<p>Financial analyst, banker, things like these in the financial sector. However, be prepared to work long hours. Typically 100 hours a week. But there is day trading, where you work until the bell, usually 4 or 5 p.m. However these fields are extremely competitive, as many people want to enter these fields due to things like bonuses and high salaries. But these jobs are not secure either. In this day and age, there is no such thing as a secure job</p>