Science major question

[TDY2KN01]

I was wondering what kind of job can you get with a B.S in biology or biochemistry. Also, is it hard to get accept to pharmacy school.

 

[Hooligan]

bump, i'm kind of curiuos too

major :: microbiology, immunology, molecular genetics major (MIMG)
minor :: asian american studies

as far as I know pharm school isn't as hard as dental or medical school. my friend is going straight into pharm school next year.

 

[white]

lab technician? most of the bio majors i knew went into medicine. i don't know what the others did.

 

[Analog]

not much.

 

[vtqanh]

mostly lab works. You can work at the hospitals, blood testing center, something like that

 

[HobbesAB]

You can also work at Food related companies. I double majored in Chemistry and Biology and went to work for a food company straight out of college. They typically hire Food Science majors, but they hire just as many non-Food Science majors as well.

 

[richardycc]

You won't go far in the science field without a Ph. D nowaday.

 

[minendo]

Originally posted by: richardycc
You won't go far in the science field without a Ph. D nowaday.

I call BS on that comment.

 

[Fausto]

Originally posted by: minendo

Originally posted by: richardycc
You won't go far in the science field without a Ph. D nowaday.

I call BS on that comment.

I call supplemental BS on that as well. You can go quite far in science with only a Bachelor's degree, it all just hinges on what you skillset is. If you're good with molecular bio techniques and such, you shouldn't have any trouble finding interesting work that pays well. It won't pay like a BS in Engineering will right out of school, but it's generally nothing to sneeze at either. If you get a position with a biotech or pharm firm, you can expect upwards of $40k per year or so and likely 30-40 if you go for a government position or stay in academia. Once you've got experience under your belt, you can start looking at higher-level stuff....typically a job posting will say something like "Master's degree or BS degree with X number years experience required". These kind of positions can run into the $60-70k range if you've got several (like 4-8 years) of solid research experience behind you if you're talking about biotech.

The one catch with not having a PhD is that you'll never have much autonomy to do pursue your own research or head up a lab/division. The other caveat is that there's always a tradeoff with each kind of research. In biotech, you get paid well, but have lousy job security (usually) since their big drug or other product may turn out to have no clinical efficacy or get shot down by the FDA. In academia, you have good job security, but the pay kinda sucks and you're constantly under the gun to publish papers in order to grub grant money (a huge PITA). In federal work, you have good job security and decent pay, but the bullsh*t factor is extremely high and money is generally pretty tight so it's hard to get state of the art equipment or lab space.

For the record, I have a BS in Chemistry and Biology and have worked in the biotech industry, academia (research at Emory U) and have been working for the CDC for the past 4 years, so the above info is from personal experience.

 

[StageLeft]

You could work at blockbuster renting movies.

 

[acidvoodoo]

to go a little off topic, what can a major in 'general' or 'astro' physics do, apart from teaching? what would starting salaries be for a BS? masters? phd? etc

just curious

 

[Darien]

Originally posted by: acidvoodoo
to go a little off topic, what can a major in 'general' or 'astro' physics do, apart from teaching? what would starting salaries be for a BS? masters? phd? etc

just curious

Heh, I'd like to know myself.



<--- BS Physics

 

[yobarman]

wow all you guys are in majors that you have no idea what they're good for ...

 

[Hooligan]

figured i was going to either go to grad school or one of the professional schools. then figure out what i'm going to do from there.

 

[TDY2KN01]

I was planning to go to pharm school after I obtain a BS in Biology, but what if something gotten in the way like not having a good enough GPA. That's what I'm worry about. I just want to know whats the fall back job gonna be.

 

[MomAndSkoorbaby]

I did a Bachelor of Science in Biology....I then went on to do my Bachelor's in Nursing.....just to open more doors for myself. I enjoy opening doors, hence my reasoning for wanting my Masters in Nursing, and eventually, my PhD.

 

[WinkOsmosis]

Originally posted by: MrsSkoorb
I did a Bachelor of Science in Biology....I then went on to do my Bachelor's in Nursing.....just to open more doors for myself. I enjoy opening doors, hence my reasoning for wanting my Masters in Nursing, and eventually, my PhD.

What is nursing? I didn't know there was a PhD in nursing.

 

[Darien]

Originally posted by: yobarman
wow all you guys are in majors that you have no idea what they're good for ...

(almost) All majors are good to pick up some knowledge. I'm in it because I enjoy it, not because there's a huge market out there.



If I wanted to go out to work after college, I'd be an engineer, not a natural science major.