I know all the data about pay and Job growth is out there but I want an honest opinion of whether I should go for Meteorology, Earth Science, Hydrology, or Environmental Science. I already know Zoology requires a master’s and PHD and is probably the least paying and has the least Job growth of all science fields. I don’t mind going to graduate school except how I’ll pay for it because it’s a lot more expensive than undergraduate school and requires atleast a 3.0 GPA to get in. Biomedical Engineering seems like a great field but it seems more people oriented. What do you think @Gumbymom @bodangles?
No one can make that decision for you. If you will be miserable in a major and job, just because it has good growth prospects and pay, is it worth it?
My older son is an Environmental Science major graduating this June. He has been job hunting for several months, with several interviews but no takers so far. He knows that as an entry level applicant, his pay will not be high but wants the experience and try to figure out what area to focus on when he decides to go back to grad school.
All the majors listed have overlapping pre-req courses so I would focus on taking the pre-req’s over the next year or so and then try to define your major. Many students change their minds so you do not have to make a decision right away.
The pay I know is not the most important thing(it may actually be lest important thing) when selecting a career but you gotta make sure you can make a living, there’s Jobs in your field, and we still ask those questions because there is a risk with going to college and graduate school if your paying a ton of money to attend there!
PhD studies are funded - meaning you get an income, your tuition and health care is paid for. If you are accustomed to being frugal it shouldn’t add to your debt load.
You’re looking to the finish line when you haven’t even gotten to the starting point. There is no way in this climate to know whether any of the science fields will be lucrative in 5-10 years, since so much basic scientific research is government funded. Not to get into politics, but if this administration is dead-set on defunding the EPA, NIH, NSF, CDC, and many other agencies, it doesn’t really matter what you do now. There may not be high-paying jobs in any science field years down the road. Don’t rely on university level science either, since much of that is grant-funded too, mostly from the federal government. If you zoology is your passion, go for it, and pick up minors or a double major in GIS, geology, bio-engineering or some other allied field. Hate to burst your bubble, but picking a major based on job prospects years out isn’t the best way to go. My philosophy major child got a $80k job in tech straight out of undergraduate school, so if you’re willing to go where the work is (i.e., not bound to your hometown), then you’ll probably be okay. BTW, if you decide to pursue a doctorate, you’ll need a much higher UG gpa than 3.0. Try minimum 3.5. Graduate studies may not be fully funded if grant funding is cut so dramatically as is proposed.
If it were me… and even as a math teacher I hate science… it would absolutely be meteorology. I’m a total weather geek-- I love storms and any sort of severe weather.
But that’s me. What is it about science that so attracts you?
@bjkmom many things of all sciences! So since you hate science and love math,do you hate chemistry and Physics even though there math based! Not everything in Chemistry is math but almost everything in physics is! Do you have to be perfect at math to be a math teacher? I’ve asked people if they have to be perfect at math to study Engineering and other STEM fields and most of the time the answer was no but I thought maybe it would be different for teaching! I’ve read stories about people who struggled with math but got better and went on to teach/tutor math and have gone into STEM! I Like Chemistry because of the periodic table(know it really well), the phases of matter, and seeing what happens when chemicals or chemical elements get mixed with other chemicals and chemical elements. In Hydrology, chemistry is used to tell what chemical elements are in the water, how polluted it is, how much mercury and PH is in the water,and can be used in zoology or Geology to determine the chemical composition of animals and Geological things such as rocks. I like Physics because it is mostly applied math and it’s used to predict things in Meteorology such as mass, weight, volume, wind speed, velocity, Humidty, air pressure, and it’s used in civil engineering to tell how wind, the earth, heat, and pressure interact with structures.all sciences are connected and Chemistry and Physics is used in all of them. I like Zoology becuase I like animals such as reptiles and amphibians. I also like the different Biomes, ecosystems(Ecology),Evolution or history of animals, and how weather affects them! I like Environmental Science because I’ve always been concerned about environmental problems and how to solve them especially endangered species! I like Hydrology because there’s the study of Water by it’s self, Groundwater Hydrology, Sub-surface Hydrology, Hydrometeorlogy, and the study of Hydrology Involving animals! I like meteorology becuase of the four seasons,how weather is different in different regions of the earth and even on other planets. I like severe weather such as snow or severe storms, the patterns that involve weather such as the ingredients that make a thunderstorm or the directions the system of precipitation goes, and how it affects the environment.
Another thing i like about meteorology is the different names of the clouds!
You might want to take a look at a major/career site like https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/majors-careers to get more info about each field. I like certain words in French but that doesn’t mean I’d enjoy a major in it or the jobs that would result from that major, you know?
I’d recommend to talk to your counselor and see what they recommend is possible with your current grades. I’ve seen from your other threads you’re not doing well in an algebra class. This would make engineering not an option.
@Bobbybob444555 you just wanna have some thing against me to say! I was sick and had a family member passed away! I do know that even if they are valid excuses that it doesn’t change the fact that I didn’t do very good and need to take action!
I am very sorry for the loss of your family member. That is a lot to go through.
@SuperGeo5999 That is some pretty solid advice. Nothing to offend you.
@Bobbybob444555 just because someone is struggling now doesn’t mean they will in the future. My Advisor says not to change goals because this past semester was only my first and has seen a lot of students bounce back after a bad semester.
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Well I talked to the head of Pre-Engineering at my school and he said to not let this past semester measure my abilities but if I don’t do very good in math in the future I may wanna change my major. As long as I’m confident in math I can do Engineering.
By the way, if your freshman in high school, you don’t have real life experience, and you’ve been suspended from school for being a bully then you don’t have the right to judge people on what they should do.
My Community college has a Biology transfer program now which is good because I can complete that and decide which area of Biology I would like to specialize in when I transfer.