Are science degrees worthless in todays economy?

The only classmates in biology that got jobs in the field knew someone. The positions were incredibly competitive and most hiring was promotions from within. Unless you want to work for free-minimum wage doing garbage lab work. It’s a dead end degree unless you have thousands of dollars in certificates, which you can only get through a job. It’s a circle. You have to go and meet people and go to seminars. Good luck to all.

A biology degree can be a gateway to a lucrative career just so long as you don’t mess about with a PhD or academia. You don’t need it!

Get yourself into pharma on the business / management side and once you have some experience, you can earn a lot of cash with lots of opportunity to develop. With Covid-19, the industry is seeing unprecedented growth and investment.

Again, if you end up being called Dr and wear a white coat in a lab, you’ve messed up.

Time to change fields.

I have a BS in biochemistry but changed careers because I realized back in 2003 what you are discovering now.

The good news is that not all is lost for you. I did one non-science career until about age 30 then switched over to something else entirely. It’s a grind for a few years to transition but it’s worth it. The fact that you can pivot at a much you get age is great for you.

I would recommend:

- software developer

- data scientist

- CPA

- actuary

I have friends who have transitioned into all four of these. The software developer started with a boot camp, the data scientist started by taking some college classes then getting an entry level IT job then working g his way up while continuing to study on the side, CPA went back to get a second bachelors (you can just focus on the relevant classes), actuary took some college courses, passed a few exams, then got hired by a company who gave him paid study time for the rest of the exams.

I have another friend who changed careers by getting his masters in the new field.

So many people do this. You can do it. Find a path and start working toward it. It might take you 2, 3, 4 years until you’re actually in the new field. Just keep moving forward and don’t give up.

Edit: after writing all that it’s clear to me that nursing and physicians assistant would also be two more great fields for you where you actually could use your bio knowledge and earn great money. You’ll have to go to school, but every option I listed will take take time and money. It will be worth it.

No. Millions of un-documented and documented economic refugees risk everything to enter the US via our Southern Border, Northern Border, and Airports just to study STEM and create the future for Mankind.

My son is considering a science major coupled with one in data, statistics, or computers and working in either public health or a private company as a data specialist.

Don't despair. I have a B.S. in bio from a UC and started out low wage in the lab. I went back for my MBA funded by my company and am bow in management making bank. There are so many jobs in Med Device and Biotech where you need a bio degree plus something else to get in the door. The roi on a PHD is really bad and few make it through med school. Get a MBA or masters in stats and you'll be fine. I make way more than all the PHDs I know so don't waste your time in that unless research is your passion and you don't care about pay. Good luck.

apply to medical school

if you can grind it out in med school, you will be rewarded with a high paying job very much in demand with very little risk of being fired or laid off.

Nine year old zombie thread, so fitting for Halloween.

Per usual, this being letsrun there is a lot of bitterness and misinformation here. But before getting into some information it would be interesting to hear how it worked out for the OP--or actually anyone else recently graduating.

I did my schooling in the 80s and 90s, studying biology as an undergrad and degrees in ecology and biology for graduate school. After several years of being an itinerant biologist I eventually shifted to policy and planning. It is related to my training although I do not do hands on-work in the field or lab. The work pays better and is overall more stable than a biology job. A lot of people first get experience doing field work as a temp or seasonal, then they work into a year-round tech or biologist position, then into planning or management or administration. If it is your passion there are still ways, so don't listen to the naysayers and ignoramus know-it-alls on letsrun.

You have to have a graduate degree to be paid. Unless you're near the top of your class, it'll cost you plenty.

For all of the US tech industry's wailing about not enough STEM majors, it is unwilling to invest in the solution. Could be why the Chinese are ahead now.

BuyTheDip wrote:

My brother just finished a biochemistry degree and was hired relatively quickly into Covid related lab role in Cambridge (U.K.). His firm has been on a hiring spree for grads. He’s taken the job to get some experience and relocate to Cambridge which is a bit of a hub for pharma stuff.

Overtime and a shift allowance help boost his basic salary of about £25k/year.

£25k/year is bloody awful. FFS, he should be able to do better than that.

Bad Wigins wrote:

You have to have a graduate degree to be paid. Unless you're near the top of your class, it'll cost you plenty.

For all of the US tech industry's wailing about not enough STEM majors, it is unwilling to invest in the solution. Could be why the Chinese are ahead now.

This is inaccurate. Most graduate science programs provide a research or teaching assistantship and free tuition. The exceptions are medical/health fields and some professional programs. But if you are doing research or working as a TA you get a stipend. Not going to get rich off it, nor is enough to support a family but it's enough to live reasonably well on your own ($25000 to $35000 a year). To fulfill the student's end of the arrangement they have to maintain a GPA of 3.0 or 3.5 (or some set level) and make timely progress in their research.

10 years ago, Bio majors used to make more than McDonald's burger flippers, but not anymore.

You can make $20/hr at Chipotle which is about that you'll make as a lab tech with a biology degree.

Los Angeles undisputed Olympic Medal Capitol of the World wrote:

No. Millions of un-documented and documented economic refugees risk everything to enter the US via our Southern Border, Northern Border, and Airports just to study STEM and create the future for Mankind.

LMFAO

Entero Boardwidth wrote:

Bad Wigins wrote:

You have to have a graduate degree to be paid. Unless you're near the top of your class, it'll cost you plenty.

For all of the US tech industry's wailing about not enough STEM majors, it is unwilling to invest in the solution. Could be why the Chinese are ahead now.

This is inaccurate. Most graduate science programs provide a research or teaching assistantship and free tuition.

You must have scored below 500 on both GRE analytical and verbal to miss "unless you're near the top of your class," which is how you get a GTF.

There's even full scholarships for the undergrads they figure are a sure thing. But obviously this is not getting them enough qualified candidates. For the other undergrads it is a gamble of tens, maybe hundreds of thousands of dollars.

That gamble is underwritten by the taxpayer, and pays off at best in a modern form of indentured servitude to a profession. A great deal for the industry, but a deterrent to recruitment.

Bad Wigins wrote:

Entero Boardwidth wrote:

This is inaccurate. Most graduate science programs provide a research or teaching assistantship and free tuition.

You must have scored below 500 on both GRE analytical and verbal to miss "unless you're near the top of your class," which is how you get a GTF.

There's even full scholarships for the undergrads they figure are a sure thing. But obviously this is not getting them enough qualified candidates. For the other undergrads it is a gamble of tens, maybe hundreds of thousands of dollars.

That gamble is underwritten by the taxpayer, and pays off at best in a modern form of indentured servitude to a profession. A great deal for the industry, but a deterrent to recruitment.

Again, you are wrong. It certainly helps to be at the top of your class to get into an elite (say top 10 or 15 program) in the US. But the standards are a lot less stringent for most other major research universities (say the next 50-60 programs). For the latter a B+ GPA, some good recommendations, and solid GREs (say 80% or better) can get you a full assistantship for a masters or Ph.D. To get into an elite school A/A-, very good recommendations/track record with some publications, and 90% GRE can get you in if you have a good connection in the department (i.e., your to be major professor believes you can do the work).

Azaleas wrote:

You might actually make more money getting your PhD than you would at a lab job (probably not, but who knows). If you really want a career in biology you need an advanced degree. I don't know how people go through 4 years of college without realizing this stuff.

I was in charge of an immunogenetics lab for ten years and the people under me fell into three general categories. Those with PhDs designed projects and submitted applications for grants and wrote papers. Those with a MS degree did the actual day to day research work on the projects. Those with a BS degree would do the unglamorous work like cleaning equipment and assisting researchers with procurement of supplies. Grant money and lab revenues only go so far, and BS degrees don’t have enough knowledge yet to substantially contribute yet. They are getting experienced and some realize that the field is not what they thought it was, so they get out before they spend more time and money pursuing further education in this field.