There is a reason the highest paying degrees are always:
1. Pretty much any kind of engineering
2. Physics
3. Applied Mathematics
4. Economics
5. Computer Science
And it's not because they are easy.
A course I'm enrolled in right now introduces (or extends) much of the molecular biology, cellular physiology, medical biochemistry, pharmacology, and basic genetics covered in typical undergraduate upper level bio courses with emphasis of course to human systems. Not a lot of genetics has been covered with the exception of the aforementioned course. I would assume that's why your friend finds med school boring
I received my B.S. in Human Bio from U.T. It was pretty hard but mostly because of my professors. Most of them could barely speak English and were researchers first. This meant lectures were useless and tests were unintelligible. We literally didn't know if the tests were riddled with spelling errors on purpose or not. The material itself wasn't all bad but there were definitely plenty of bumps were the information we received on certain proteins were outdated and markers were outdated. We usually had to spend the first month or so re-learning old material in a new way in order to build on it.
I actually had a great job lined up working for a company which did preventative health care research. They looked for genetic markers that indicated the probability of having a rare disease. These companies still exist but the one I was in tanked after the recession hit.
So now I work as a Linux tech. Most of the most brilliant scientists of our generation will be in this field because this is where the money is. It isn't all that hard but it requires a ton of knowledge and troubleshooting skills which is what science is all about. My starting salary was 50k + 10% bonuses + 10% if you worked second shift + 5% if you worked third shift. That doesn't include benefits like health care, dental, company discounts on phone plans, etc.
Makes sense. Anything that's been printed in a textbook is already outdated. I had a really great genetics professor who didn't teach out of a text, but required us to read out of journals of our choosing. I learned more in that class than the typical class setup.
Assburgers?
Science REALLY depends on the area. Friends of mine who graduated in the Boston area went to work with the BS doing lab monkey work (media prep, etc) starting at ~$48k/year, but that's in New England. In Texas, you're looking at $30-35k to start on average in research, less in lab monkey rolls. I was offered two jobs on the same day - the first was ~$25k a year and I told the dude no chance, I'd already been offered more elsewhere (that was a lie)... he said he'd love to know where because no one will offer more than that. That afternoon I got offered my job at $40k a year starting. Generous raises increased that relatively quickly. You also hear a lot that you spend your entry level 5 years in and then after that you see a big bump in your salary. I can see that to a point if you're able to transition into a better position.
My coworker and I (who got hired at the same time into a very small group) often about our salary, but we always end up coming back to that we know we're making much more than most people our age with science-based BS degrees. With that said, both of us are getting our masters because we know it's necessary to really get that next jump (into or very near the 100k range). Good money is there in industry after 5-10 years in, but you need to work your way into one of the positions that's there with the money, otherwise you'll get stuck low or burn out and abandon ship... There are numerous lab monkeys at my work who are making very little, work long hours, and apply for any and every job that comes up within the company trying to move into a new/better position. Quite often we hire new grads for those new/better positions instead of an internal lab monkey because the new grad hasn't learned their bad habits yet and we can groom them as we like. The lab monkeys are the ones who couldn't find a job for 6 months after graduating and were willing to take anything they could.
But at least there is potential growth at times. I know my RN wife has about maxed out at her employers maximum RN salary already after only 6 years but once they do that, they really speed up the rate they accrue time off, so it all kinda equals out. With that said, she even went and got her master's so she's not stuck doing the same thing for the next 40 years.
All-in-all, while not having the most glamorous jobs in the world, my wife and I took our two BS degrees and are doing extremely well for ourselves, especially in our mid/late 20's. If/when we actually use the master's we have/will get, then we'll be even better off.
yup my uncle also got stuck in that lower tier of salary ranges for a long time with just a BA in microbiology. it took him until 50 years old to get hired on at alcon labs and start making the big money, better late than never but i just didn't want to wait that long, or do that much school. i'm smart enough, but not so smart that it would just be a breeze and i'm not really the type who enjoys school , i've always hated it actually. as a CPA i can earn 95k on average without even a masters degree, just very limited post grad and if you get in with the government you're looking at anywhere between 120-225k.
HVAC degree from Everest College is no joke if you're a white suburbanite like myself.
If you really are leaning towards the sciences but also want big paycheck out the door, apply to pharmacy school. They are doctorate level now with a Pharm.D. designation & the beginning salary, according to the latest report I saw, was approx. $120K to start.
AS for your question avout what I did with my chem degree... went to work for Baxter Healthcare in Medical Sales & now I'm retired fore medical reasons.
pharmacy school ain't practical for most people. my cousin graduated last spring with a degree in chemistry and a really high gpa(towards the top of the class), but still didn't score good enough on the entrance exam to get in. i forget what the acceptance rate is but its something like less than 10%, only a couple hundred get in out of the thousands who apply.
MILF!!!! not everyone is maarried to a dentist and can call it in retired
masters etc is bull if ur thinking of moving in the next tier of salary, when everyone has the same thinking of advancing you be competing with alot of applicants with limited jobs in that pay bracket...
its the same with accounting...get ur bachelors and if ur not successful gettin a good position in a big bank or hedge fund company....then ur stuck with the paper pushing entry role jobs that dont even need any degree but basic trainning...hence when u get ur CPA, you be like the other idiots who ur trying to compete with for that job, theres a reason why pay scales for accounting has gone down...oversupply of applicants and limited jobs, allows the employer to pushed down salary expectations and students will lower their demands and get any job possible...hence you hire monkeys you get monkeys
i think i shouldve done commerce/economics...fkn
hey milf you forgot one thing about pharmacy, that market has slowly declining with the big supermarket chains having their own pharmacy chains and paying all for pharmacy jobs....unless you own ur own pharmacy where there is not a supermarket chain next to it that offers the same service, then you be making money....other then that ive seen many supermarket chains are taking out the local small business pharmacy stores....
i got a friend who had twin brothers got into medicine...attending top20 university in the world, i think its 1st rank in australia...
in no particular order; Actuarial science, electrical engineering, physics, chemical engineering, computer science.
Good post. I couldnt give a about derivation. I just wanted to get it over with. Math majors have a completely different outlook.
And I've known quite a few biology majors and seen a lot of their work. Many of those people were pre-med. The only thing that would make biology difficult is having to make A's (pre-med). But I don't see how it could be included among the most difficult majors when it includes as much memorization as it does. I'm not sure how someone could compare Bio to Math, Physics or Engineering (Chem/Nuc, Mech, Civil, Elec) especially when you take into account the amount of time that is required to be successful in those majors.
I don't know any biology students who spent, or were expected to spend 5+ days working one computational problem. If anyone in Bio actually did do that, it's because they're re ed.
That would make bio seem way harder to me then. I remember signing up to take a bio class to fill a GE and there were literally 100 definitions I had to memorize in the first lecture. I dropped that ASAP and found a way more interesting class to fill the requirement. The fact that you only need to remember a few very simple definitions/theorems for a math or physics exam made it so much simpler to me (I say this having never taken physics classes more advanced than oscillations + waves and a course on analytical mechanics though).
Last edited by baseline bum; 10-20-2011 at 09:58 AM.
Sure, maybe if you're talking about pre-meds at the lower undergrad level. If the Bio students you're talking about are anything like the ones here, they're usually taking the path of least resistance in order to apply to med school.
When you have a genuine interest in genetics, biology, and biochemistry research you'll encounter mostly conceptual based problems by upper undergrad courses and into graduate school. Memorization is almost useless in order to do well. If you take a course in membrane proteomics, structural biological or advanced molecular biophysics, you'll see what I mean.
I shouldn't have said memorization is useless - you have to memorize on top of even understanding concepts. I know the professor tolds us in that biochemi course I took that everyone should already know all the amino acids and every single of its structural properties off the top of your head.
Seriously, whenever I talk to her she's partying. I'm like WTF? She's not flunking out so hey, she got that under control.A course I'm enrolled in right now introduces (or extends) much of the molecular biology, cellular physiology, medical biochemistry, pharmacology, and basic genetics covered in typical undergraduate upper level bio courses with emphasis of course to human systems. Not a lot of genetics has been covered with the exception of the aforementioned course. I would assume that's why your friend finds med school boring
Agree, even for the man who hates English and syntax.
Yes, I had this wrong. At any rate
Well, I'm a bit of an aberration I suppose.Wow, I didn't know physicists liked chemistry. I remember going to listen to Richard Smalley give a lecture one time and the physicist introducing him made a joke about all the physicists in the room only knowing freshman chem.
Then, no. Now.......maybe
Good stuff here Manny.
I know a lot of people who moved up the ladder because they got their Masters. Maybe many were in line already, but employers see the ability to complete something like that while working a regular job as a sign of a focused person, and it's often rewarded, especially if the degree suits the job le. In fact, many companies will reimburse for the degree. You cannot scoff at that.MILF!!!! not everyone is maarried to a dentist and can call it in retired
masters etc is bull if ur thinking of moving in the next tier of salary, when everyone has the same thinking of advancing you be competing with alot of applicants with limited jobs in that pay bracket...
its the same with accounting...get ur bachelors and if ur not successful gettin a good position in a big bank or hedge fund company....then ur stuck with the paper pushing entry role jobs that dont even need any degree but basic trainning...hence when u get ur CPA, you be like the other idiots who ur trying to compete with for that job, theres a reason why pay scales for accounting has gone down...oversupply of applicants and limited jobs, allows the employer to pushed down salary expectations and students will lower their demands and get any job possible...hence you hire monkeys you get monkeys
i think i shouldve done commerce/economics...fkn
hey milf you forgot one thing about pharmacy, that market has slowly declining with the big supermarket chains having their own pharmacy chains and paying all for pharmacy jobs....unless you own ur own pharmacy where there is not a supermarket chain next to it that offers the same service, then you be making money....other then that ive seen many supermarket chains are taking out the local small business pharmacy stores....
Salaries are quite varied in Radiologic Science. They were more uniform in nuclear/experimental physics. A chief physicist at a large metropolitan hospital can pull in as much as 400k.
I'll probably take a chief position once I get tired of doing any real physics.
http://www.bls.gov/opub/ooq/2011/summer/art02.pdf
My current profession if anyone is interested in it. Salaries range from 80k to around 400k depending on degree, locale and area of expertise.
That must have been so cool to talk to Feynman; from his books, lectures, and interviews, I can't imagine another person in the history of this nation being more interesting to have a conversation with. Have you ever seen the episode of BBC Horizon called "The Pleasure of Finding Things Out"? He talks about the way his father taught him to be really inquisitive about everything. Check it if you haven't seen this before:Then, no. Now.......maybe
On a side note, Smalley looked pissed after that joke about freshman chem!
Yes I've caught that a few times actually. I recommend it to any youngster who is contemplating a career in science.
I distinctly remember one student asking him about dimensional analysis. I remember his rather animated response as well. Something along the lines of "horribly abusing" it's spirit. This cartoon reminds me of that:
Never met Smalley. I'm sure it left a bad taste in his mouth though.
I distinctly remember one student asking him about dimensional analysis. I remember his rather animated response as well. Something along the lines of "horribly abusing" it's spirit. This cartoon reminds me of that:
I got pi = 0.0135 meter^3 per gallon. I don't care; I'm still going to use 22/7.
Last edited by baseline bum; 10-20-2011 at 09:34 PM.
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