<p>I don't know what my major would be called and I need help. I want to make medicine, like a pharmacist. But instead of working in a Pharmacy, I would like to develop new medicines? What should I major in to do this? Also, I want to double major with that major and spanish.</p>
<p>Chemistry or Biochemistry. Most universities have research programs for undergrads that can help you achieve your goal.</p>
<p>Also, if you’re considering Professional schools after undergrad, DEFINTIELY consider the MD/PhD route. It’s a seven year program after your Bachelors that allows you to become a Medical Doctor and PhD. So theoretically you could get the PhD in Pharmaceutical Chemistry, develop new medicines, and treat your patients in-clinic with them. “Research physician” is another name for this, just something to consider!</p>
<p>Chemistry, molecular biology, and biochemistry are the obvious choices. But just beware—Pharma and biotech has been one of THE worst industries to find employment in. There have been massive layoffs over the past 10 years. You’ll find it almost impossible to find employment better than a lowly lab tech or QC person. You’ll be competing with people with far superior resumes and job experience when you are fresh out because they are scrambling to take any job they can. Jobs in pharma and biotech are notorious for being unstable. Just keep in mind that if you wish to pursue this career path you may be best off not owning a home and just renting a place because you may have to pick up and leave at whim in order to find new employment every 5 years. If you dream of owning a home, this may not be the best career choice.</p>
<p>Well what do you recommend gravenewworld?</p>
<p>Gravenewworld is right. The career prospects in those fields are limiting and laughable. I have been working in Pharma and Biochemistry for 5 years and all the jobs I have worked for got worse and worse. I thought I was a shoe in to get a good job in the sciences, since I did research, had awesome connections (so I thought!), and internships and things like that and that hearing on the radio, tv, and friends that they need scientist to fill up the many good jobs. Man, was I wrong! I was competing against PhDs that were laid off and MS/BS applicants with better resumes than me. So, I settled and was accepted to crappy jobs. My first job, was a crappy (literally too! lol)lab tech job capping poop and pee for $12 an hour, working at the worse hours. It was embarassing because people were telling me why I was working there with a BS in biochem and they all had HS diplomas! I had and abusive and lying boss (Oh yeah, you will encounter a lot of abusive, lying, and insecure bosses in the sciences who are way worse than the bosses I worked for at a grocery store! They will find ways to fire you and keep you stagnant. Not worth it!). I got so tired of it, I put the crap down in a can and walked out.</p>
<p>My second job, was at a pharmaceutical company run by Brussels Belgium. 90% were permtemp workers with no benefits and decent pay. All the scientist were gripping and complaining about regretting getting a science degree, but I still had faith in science. Then, a week or so, we all received phone calls saying the next week will be our last week working there. I was only there for three months! Then, a week or two later, I saw the ad out, where this company was asking for different workers! So, we are treated like crap and tossed in the streets just like that? We were replaced!</p>
<p>My third job, was at a medical laboratory. The manager had an associates and the rest of us had Bachelors! She went to college with me too and she was very nice then. Working with her, was a different story! I was doing an excellent job and went above and beyond. She felt intimidated and made my life there a nightmare. She was mad that I got my Bachelors and was making me feel bad about it. I was not going to tolerate that abuse and have someone with an associates boss me around so I quit.</p>
<p>My last job, was at the clinical trials office and that was Pharma influenced big time! I was doing boring and repetitive QA/QC work for 2.5 years and processing specimens. All was well until management changed (my boss retired but my supervisor and another supervisor from some other place took over) and everyone quit, were fired, or retired (the turn over rate was way too high and I could see why!). This was when the abuse came in! I was getting paid okay ($37K w/benefits) so, the supervisor hired all her friends and decided that I should do all her work, my work, and her buddies work. I found out I was the only one in the office doing this and I fell behind. She then took all my rights away, vacation, and treated me terrible. Dude, how am I suppose to catch up if I am doing EVERYONE’s job? Impossible! On top of that, I was stressed, my hair fell out, my face broke out and I had NO LIFE because I was always at work staying late and coming in early! I was like, screwed this! So, I reported her (During the process, I applied to medical school so just incase I got fired, I had a backup plan!) and it was a long and monthly process. HR was useless!!!I got fired and my supervisor lied about the reason to fire me. Her friends were there in the meeting too when they let me go. I worked hard at that job but they did not care. All that loyalty for nothing! This was when I lost total faith in science. The next day, I was accepted to medical school! Even though I was accepted, I wanted to work until I went that summer. I still could not get a lab job and I was told the list if applicants was HUGE! Thank God I got out of sciences. I got fed up with it and decided to go into healthcare. A few things I’ve learned is that, I love healthcare and to not be loyal to anyone except yourself. Don’t kill yourself for it because when times are tough, they will treat you terrible and get rid of you. Stay clear from the sciences unless you are going into healthcare or 100% sure you want to do research and get a PhD. I regret paying an arm and a leg for this degree (But, thank God I had scholarships too!) for a useless degree that will get you nothing but McDonald waged jobs!</p>
<p>BS in biology here and have to say there’s some overlap between my and JBoyLover27’s experience. Got a degree in biology was hired by the USDA as a contractor (no benefits). That would have been fine if it weren’t for the fact that the greedy foreign ■■■■■■■ above me hired me at the non-negotiable level of GS-3 which is for high school grads (11.95/hr). I had research experience, and a decent GPA to boot. I left right before my apartment lease ended and moved home.</p>
<p>Worked as a contractor (hired without an interview and fired just as quickly for short term projects) at a chemical plant in NJ, as well as a food chemistry place. Also hired as a contractor at a fortune 500 for $18/hr with no benefits. I didn’t make too much effort at this point though because I was fed up and ready to go back to school for a Clinical Laboratory license. After all I like micro and the pay was better than my perma-temping crap. I may apply for medical/dental school at a later date but am almost done and need to get out of my parents house and get a life first. </p>
<p>I’m not quite yet in the job market yet and can’t really comment exclusively on jobs other than the options are much better than a BS/MS in biochem/bio/chem. Entry level jobs in my area (NYC/NJ) pay in the realm of $20-30/hr base (not including differentials/OT) with benefits. Most science grads hired in medical labs like JBoy said get $15/hr tops, and are basically helpers. Pay in CA is also very good if you can get a license.</p>
<p>Point of the story: If you enjoy biology apply for a BS in nursing or Clinical Laboratory Science (though the latter is often very difficult to complete in 4 yrs, at my place it required over 110 hours to even get into the year long clinical portion). There is a demand for science skills in healthcare, but bio-research is a very glutted market. And avoid PhD’s at all cost unless you love being a post-doc slave for 40k a year working 80 hrs a week for the rest of your career. </p>
<p>I really wish I had done a second major in accounting/computer science myself.</p>
<p>@jlsperling: Good luck with everything! I hope you get into medical/dental school too.</p>
<p>I agree with you, if I were to do it all over again, I wouldn’t. I should of majored in business, took the required premed courses (plus recommended ones if possible) and minored in a language or something. Medical schools don’t even care what you majored in, I was told to majored in a science degree. Little did I know, when applying for jobs, I was also up against medical school drop outs or hopefuls who change their mind along the way or never got in so they were stuck with a useless degree. So, you are competing against a lot of people. I should of did more research and chosen a better major on my own instead of listening to people. I was going to get a Masters or a PhD and thank God I didn’t! My last job, we had a post doc, who was doing the same task as someone with a BS or MS! His boss was my psychotic boss who fired me, and she had a MPH. It was like looking into the future if I were to take that awful route. What’s the point wasting more money and the best years of your life, fulfilling a career that leads to nowhere? I suggest getting a PhD only if you are 100% sure you want to stay in research or you exhausted all your options in research ( honestly, I think there are better research routes anyways. You can be a lab manager, without paying more money and wasting your life on a PhD. The pay is mediocre, but it is better than being a lab tech or post doc slave forever). Never get a PhD just to brag or feel you need it to get more jobs because I don’t see that happening for most. Getting tenure is extremely difficult, especially when you have shady professors voting against you. I had a really excellent Endocrine professor who wanted a tenure position. All these so called professors, who she thought were her friends, all voted against her. Only one supported her and it was really sad. She cried and said she thought they were her friends. She ate lunch and supported them and everything! She left the next year. Also, we had a professor from China, who had a MD/PhD, was TAing classes! He didn’t even have his own lab or class! It was embarassing and pathetic so he left too! The phD world is very shady and cutthroat and you never get ahead in your career. A VAST majority of them are post docs slaving away in a lab or a crappy non-related job for 40k or less working 80 hrs a week for the rest of their career for nothing.</p>
<p>Getting a Masters, same deal. My sister was accepted into the Masters program and her professors used her to TA their classes and attend these meetings during her classes! They got mad that she wanted out of TAing so they sabotaged her test (test in order to move forward) and she was kicked out. She applied to medical school and wanted a letter of recommendation from her professor. That professor had the audacity to say she won’t get in and she will not write one (little did SHE know, my sister forgot she asked her for a letter before the program and she gave my sister a good letter. The premed committee was confused and believed she tried to sabotage my sister so, they sent the good letter anyways). When my sister was kicked out, she told the admissions committee about it and they told her that they did it wrongfully and had no rights to kick her out (they did not do proper protocol) and getting kick out of the program is not on her record, but withdrawal. So, the professors sabotaged her. She was accepted and hated the whole experience. She had a 3.9 GPA and the ones who “passed” had 2.0 GPA’s. It’s a shady system with office politics, using their students as cheap labor to TA their classes and suck out all your hard work from you so they can look good. People who were in that program, stayed there longer than they had to! I am glad I saw sschoe2’s and gravenewworld’s post and found out that this was common. When I told people in this town, they did not believe me. I am glad I found this forum.</p>
<p>Anyways, I would do more research if anyone is considering a science degree, or you will suffer from constant job instability by getting fired/lay-offs, not able to own a house or a good car, applying for unemployment or getting crappier jobs each year either with awful pay with no benefits, awful abuse, or all the above. You will live with mommy and daddy and live in poverty for years until you decide to put your foot down.</p>
<p>I wish more parents and students would read these postings. All were right on. I would included engineering, computer science and the HYPschools to this discussion. Nothing is guaranteed anymore. Do your research!</p>
<p>Your exact major would be “pharmacology”, but only a few schools offer it as an undergraduate major. I Know UC Santa Barbara offers it and seems to have a high employment rate.</p>
<p>I would personally just finish the bio/chem requirements then go to pharmacy school and become a pharmacist. That way you have an (almost) guaranteed profession but you’re also in possession of a PhD which opens up research opportunities. Although for a PharmD those research opportunities will probably be clinical rather than engineering medications.</p>
<p>I know you said you don’t want to be a pharmacist but I’d say making $100,000 a year as a pharmacist while searching for research opportunities beats clawing your way up from the bottom in debt as a biochem grad.</p>
<p>Alternatively you could look into engineering disciplines - chemical engineering or biomedical engineering. Again since you’re an engineer you have a respectable profession to fall back on in case you don’t magically land a paying research position straight out of school.</p>
<p>These guys aren’t lying, traditional biology/chemistry majors have a tough road as fresh graduates (med school dropouts oversaturate the field with overqualified applicants, a lot of biochem research is outsourced to Asia, etc. etc. etc.)</p>
<p>Discoinferno–Pharmacy markets are waning a bit as of recent. Most new grads in this area are getting ~80k ish to start and top out ~100k. Jobs are also not all that easy to find, and many older workers are getting laid off to save $ by greedy retailers. It’s still a good profession though, and clinical and research opportunities (mostly in academia) are available.</p>
<p>OP, if you are <em>really</em> motivated about this, go to medical school and get an MD/DO and do a residency in something like pathology or oncology. Then if you can break into monitoring of clinical trials in big pharma/biotech. I know two people that do this. One is now high management at Merck and makes 7 figures. The other just helped pass a diabetes drug through the FDA and makes good $ as well. Job security is far better, as clinical trials are often required to be done in the USA, and failure of your project won’t mean instant layoffs as there’s often many more to replace it in the pipelines.</p>
<p>You don’t need a bio/biochem/chem major to go to medical school however. In fact I’d recommend a degree that offers a backup (more than half of applicants are rejected), just take the prerequisites and MCATs and apply to medical school. </p>
<p>Employable bachelors degrees include: chemical-electrical-civil-mechanical-petroleum-computer engineering, geophysics, medical laboratory science (usually a duel degree), nursing, computer science, and accounting.</p>