Can you help me with my possible career path?

Question

I am a soon to be HS Senior who is sifting through different colleges and career options. I am unsure of what profession I would like to work in in the future. I love working in the lab, and am a 4.0/4.0 GPA student with a 28 composite ACT(I will be retaking as I couldn't finish due to an emergency). I have recently taken an interest in Biotechnology, and will be taking a class in it this coming year. The ASVAB test suggested that I work in a medical, scientific engineering, or other related fields. I agree, but I am still so confused! I am looking for a career where I cannot get bored.
Do have any suggestions of colleges, possible professions, or places I could take a career placement exam? Any help is greatly appreciated!

Jersey, being a scientist encompasses any type of scientific study. When you are working in a lab at school or studying any science related content, you are acting as a scientist. I'm trying to find a specific career.

Yes, I love biology, chemistry, problem solving, and pretty much science in general. That is why I'm having such a hard time! LOL

Answer 1

Hi there! I'm actually a scientist in the biotech field, and I'll guarantee you that your job would never be boring. As a scientist, you are constantly on the move from room to room or bench to bench. Your work differs from day to day, and each experiment brings different results. For example, if you find something interesting on Monday, on Tuesday you may want to set up an experiment to either repeat your results or both repeat and expound on the data... So your assay evolves with time, and eventually you get enough data to put together a very nice picture. If it's good enough, you can publish and get your name in print....

Here's the down-side: As a scientist in an academic institute, you're so underpaid that the janitors will actually be making more than you sometimes.... Also, science can be very frustrating, since new and challenging assays have a tendency to fail. Working for a company can solve these problems... Companies are much more well-funded than academic labs, and thus you'll have all of the materials you need to have a a successful experiment. This means less failure. Also, you'll make so much more money in industry than you would in academia. I just made the transition a year ago, and I'm now making $24k/yr more than I was working in an academic setting last year at this time.

So how do you get into industry? First off, you need to pick a school with a good biology program-- by "good" I mean that you need to go to a school that's going to teach you about current industry techniques. Make sure you focus on molecular biology, cell biology and various types of physiology classes (immunology, endocrinology, neurobiology, etc), since those will prep you best for industry. Most industry these days is trying to do something with cells- so a good foundation in cell bio is especially important. Ecology, ethology, entomology -though they will no doubt be offered by any well-rounded bio program in the US- are quite worthless to you.

Also, industry can be hard to break into straight out of college... Don't be discouraged if you have to be a lab tech in an academic lab for a few years to get your hands-on lab skills up-to-par. Industry tends to favor those with a lot of experience rather than folks right out of college.

And finally, it's easier to find a suitable position at the BS/MS degree level. With a Ph.D., you're much more specialized and thus, though you will make more money, finding a position you fit into well can be significantly more difficult at such a higher level. Competition for jobs in industry is high at any degree level, so don't be afraid to start out in a smaller biotech and then move on to a large company. I currently work for the 3rd largest company in the world.

I hope you enjoy your career if you choose science!!! Best of luck!


PS: make sure you get to sample hands-on science as much as possible before deciding that it's the right career for you... Theoretical biology is not at all the same as the practical application... ie: You won't get a good feel of what it is to be a scientist unless you work in a lab. Doing your own experiments is actually much more challenging than learning about someone else's in biology class.

Answer 2

Biotech's a great field to get into--it's really taking off right now and there are a lot of great internships that you can get as a college student to see if that's the right career for you.

I'm a biology major and I thought I knew exactly what I wanted to do when I got to college...until I got to sophomore year and realized that there were a ton of careers I hadn't even heard of, much less considered. I'm going to be a senior in the fall and I don't really know what I'm going to be doing after I graduate. There really is so much out there--I interned at a science museum for a month earlier this year and now I'm actually looking at working in one during this semester, because I never knew that was an option.

When you're looking at colleges, shoot for small class/lab sizes and see if you can find a school with organized support for female students in the sciences--I got to a women's college that has a Women in Science program that helps a lot of students get internships and network and such. If you have the option to do work-study at college, see if you can get a position in the Biology department as early as possible--it'll be great lab experience for your resume, especially if you get the opportunity to assist in teaching lower-level labs later on.

Answer 3

First, never let a test or computer tell you which carrer is right for you...they are often wrong. If you have such a good GPA then you should go to a good college and get a PhD in chemistry and you can work all day in a lab and be rich...Wait...I have a much better idea, you should get a PhD in environmental science and becuase of the global warming issue you will be wanted and be certain to get a good job with high pay. You wont be stuck all the time in a lab, you will have to sometimes go to the problem itself, wherever in the world it is, trust me...you should do this.

Answer 4

The medical field is a great place to get into these days. There is more and more opportunity and competition. I would look into the medicine development side of things. Do you like chemistry? Do you like problem solving? My biggest piece of advice is don't pay too much attention to the personality and career advisors. You sound like you know a lot about your interests so explore. Do internships and externships to gain experience and get hands on! That is how I changed my mind 4 times in college ; )

Answer 5

Way to go with those grades! I would look into a technical college of some sort. MIT or something of that nature. Try for a scholorship and work hard to keep your GPA up. Also consider an internship as it can be listed as experience when posting your resume.

Answer 6

You could go on to Vet school after that kind of degree. You could probably do equine massage and equine chiropractic (I'm not sure if that requires a Vet degree or not), or go to technical school and be a Vet Tech at a equine rehabilitation clinic. The path to provide the most opportunity after getting a BS in Equine Studies would definitely have to be Vet school.

Answer 7

How about a toxocology expert, medical examiner, or CSI? If you go to a big city you're not likely to get bored.

Answer 8

if u like 2 work in the lad then u should be a scientist

Answer 9

be a science major and then work in a lab. maybe find the cure for cancer...

Answer 10

Hooker??