Biochemistry Majors...what can I do with this major???

Question

I am a biochem major and I was wondering what I could do with my major when I graduate.. also I was wondering if there are any scholarships for biochem majors since there are so many for engineers??

Answer 1

I majored in cell bio, which is under the same department as biochem. For those of us who weren't going straight to medical school (molecular cell bio is a popular pre-med major), we applied for jobs with biotech and pharma companies. If you do not intend to move somewhere with biotech and pharma jobs (as biotech firms are not exactly widespread, although they tend to locate themselves in beautiful places), you can find a job in a laboratory. Local health departments employ a lot of lab techs. With a biochem degree, you can supervise in a lab.

In my case, I applied to a lot of pharmaceutical companies in the midst of a hiring freeze. not good. I wound up going to graduate school and getting a career in public health instead. So if you choose grad school after biochem, consider getting your degree in biostatistics/epidemiology so you can make the big money on pharmaceutical clinical trials. Seriously, if you want to make a killing in biochem, clinical trials are the place to be.

Otherwise, consider taking some teaching gigs.

On the bright side, yes, there are plenty of scholarships for biochem students who demonstrate a desire to do research. Try http://www.fastweb.com for more info. As I recall, the lead singer of the punk band Bad Religion -- who earned his PhD in biochem at Cornell University -- offers a $10k scholarship to biochem students. Very cool, esp. if you like punk rock.