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Have you yourself considering going to one of those fields?
I mentioned this earlier, but think it is worth reiterating, regardless of your degree you have prove your worth to ever expect to make it.
I think that you are going to see that every field has its difficulties, science included. There is nothing wrong with realizing that you don't enjoy your work once you get into the thick of things, but don't throw away someone else's possible future success due to your experience.
Yes I am very seriously considering getting a Master of Science in Finance or Accounting and going that route.
As for proving yourself, you have to be given an opportunity to prove yourself. That just is not happening. With a science degree you can only likely get hired as a lab monkey. No one cares how well you do there (as long as you don't screw up) and they can easily replace you which is why they keep you as a temp and pay you like a janitor only with no benefits.
As for screwing up someone's future going into science does that. Avoiding science is just being shrewd. I just wish to heck that someone cared enough, or knew enough to tell me to stay away.
Yes I am very seriously considering getting a Master of Science in Finance or Accounting and going that route.
As for proving yourself, you have to be given an opportunity to prove yourself. That just is not happening. With a science degree you can only likely get hired as a lab monkey. No one cares how well you do there (as long as you don't screw up) and they can easily replace you which is why they keep you as a temp and pay you like a janitor only with no benefits.
As for screwing up someone's future going into science does that. Avoiding science is just being shrewd. I just wish to heck that someone cared enough, or knew enough to tell me to stay away.
Why not get into one of the allied health fields you mentioned? Finance and accounting aren't the easiest fields to walk into without some background experience. What makes you think you wont be disappointed again 3 years from now?
I think you're extrapolating your current situation a bit beyond reason. If you had 2 or 3 jobs and were stuck in your position then I would be a bit more understanding, but to propose that all jobs in science are dead ends based on your limited exposure seems a bit presumptuous. Sure STEM majors get hit with reality post graduation a lot harder then some others since they were told they would be walking on easy street, but the reality of any degree now is to start to own your career. In order to do so it often requires long hours, relocating, and making some compromises.
Why not get into one of the allied health fields you mentioned? Finance and accounting aren't the easiest fields to walk into without some background experience. What makes you think you wont be disappointed again 3 years from now?
Medical School MCAT, no guarantee of admission, 4 years of expensive and difficult school, then modestly paid residency. Also with the current state of health care in this country something has to give.
Pharmacy, 1 year of missing prerequisites like anatomy, communications, economics, then pcat, then no guarantee of admission, then 4 years of expensive college.
Dental school 3 years? probably doable
Finance or Accounting GMAT, 2 year Masters Program.
As for science, the likely path I see is continuing to bounce from crappy contract job to contract job not advancing until I am 40 something and no longer likely to be hired.
Pure science sucks. Stick to engineering/compsci/math or accounting/finance/economics.
I think the best gig for a science major is becoming a clinical lab scientist/medical technologist (if you have the required courses).
@MSchemist80
I would look into 3 year pharmacy programs. Or 2 year physician assistant school.
Also 1 year of pre-reqs is worth it to finish plus you can apply while you take them. Also the PCAT is very easy compared to the other admission exams (MCAT/DAT). Trust me it is worth it to finish it. It is better than working as an accountant for a year.
Trust me it is worth it to finish it. It is better than working as an accountant for a year.
What is wrong with working as an accountant? In any case I have gotten so bitter towards science I am at the point where I just want it out of my life completely and permanently. As for med tech they want someone with a specialized technologist degree and certifications. That's a lot of work for a slightly higher paying dead end career. The ideal situation would be to use my transferable skills to get a decent middle class job outside of science like, according to the stats 68%, of science majors do. I'm really just looking for ~50k and benefits.
What is wrong with working as an accountant? In any case I have gotten so bitter towards science I am at the point where I just want it out of my life completely and permanently. As for med tech they want someone with a specialized technologist degree and certifications. That's a lot of work for a slightly higher paying dead end career. The ideal situation would be to use my transferable skills to get a decent middle class job outside of science like, according to the stats 68%, of science majors do. I'm really just looking for ~50k and benefits
Because all the hard work would be for nothing. Basically you would be no better than a 21 year old college graduate who majored in accounting. If you want to settle for that then go for it.
Getting into a pharmacy school is pretty simple. You did most of the pre-reqs already. All you need is a few more. There are like ~110 schools. If you have an okay GPA (3.3+), you should be able to find a school that will accept you.
Asking what questions exactly? If you don't have sufficient knowledge, its hard to ask good questions. If you asked something like "What sort of jobs are available in Chemistry", you're likely to get a very general and useless answer in return. Professors, like everyone else, are self-interested and they don't want to deal with charity cases. If you don't shine from the start its hard to get their attention and as a result sufficient help.
Not necessarily career/money/job questions. I suppose the questions don't really differ all that much from common day-to-day stuff- curiosity. You're in a room with a person you know. They're engrossed in whatever it is they're doing. You ask, what are you doing? Start a conversation. Seems simple enough to me. I just got to know my professors and naturally learned about their work. As with any relationship, one thing led to another. I didn't run into prof's brushing off curiosity. Yes, there were those that did not hide the fact that they didn't care for having to teach, but inquiring about their research usually resulted in a conversation.
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I don't know if this is common knowledge or not, but you are changing the goal post. Many people majoring in science are just trying to get a decent job in a scientific field after graduation, they are not trying to become "scientists".
I'm not trying to change the goal posts. I do assume that a science major has science, scientists or some other future endeavor in mind. All I have to go on are my own experiences, and those students I was friends with had a plan. They knew where they were going and what they wanted to do. They weren't flying blind. A chem major isn't the easiest path to take. I don't know why someone would choose it without some idea of where they wanted to go.
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You speak as if everyone in college is career oriented and that is far from the truth, when I was in college I was not even thinking about careers. If by "competitive students" you mean those that are oriented around careers and making money then sure, but then what you are saying is just a tautology. The best students, at least from my experience, are not really career oriented. They are rather oriented around learning.
That's pretty obvious. Students can go to college for whatever reason. Planning for the future, tho, is not a matter of re-inventing the wheel. Having your next step dawn on you isn't some great feat. It's really an in between undertaking. Where am I going? How do I plan to feed myself? People, surely, have been asking themselves these questions for a few thousand years now.
What I mean by competitive are those that take interest in what they're doing, maxing out their experience by getting involved.
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This is, I believe, a major problem with the modern system of higher education. On one hand students that want to receive a pure education get hurt as the social and economic system is not there to support them after graduation. On the other hand students that are career oriented have to aggressively pursue very limited opportunities at their universities that provide sufficient experience to enter the job market. But this pursuit requires a particular personality, one that has nothing to do with talent in science. You are essentially criticizing people for their personality type, something they can do little about. A system that only allows aggressive extroverts to succeed is not exactly a good system.
This doesn't make sense. Talented students typically care. They are not those that can't be bothered participating in science outside taking tests for whatever class to get the A. It is this group that is complaining. I'm sure there are those that are both talented and socially challenged so they can't figure their way around, but whatever. Successful scientists tend to be engaged in science, regardless of money.
Basically you would be no better than a 21 year old college graduate who majored in accounting.
That would be a step up for me. Right now I am no better off than a 18 year old with a high school diploma and nothing else. My science degree is less than worthless. Worthless means no added value. My science degree consumed 20k and 6 years of my life and is continuing to erode my life.
My goal is to obtain a job with a reasonable income as soon as possible. I'm tired of delaying life waiting to be financially stable. A 2 year Master's program is far more attractive than an additional 5 years of college and putting off life for studies.
That would be a step up for me. Right now I am no better off than a 18 year old with a high school diploma and nothing else. My science degree is less than worthless. Worthless means no added value. My science degree consumed 20k and 6 years of my life and is continuing to erode my life.
My goal is to obtain a job with a reasonable income as soon as possible. I'm tired of delaying life waiting to be financially stable. A 2 year Master's program is far more attractive than an additional 5 years of college and putting off life for studies.
You still got a long career ahead of you. At least another 30+ years before retirement. An additional 3 years is nothing. But its your life so you choose what you want to do.
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