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According to a 2011 survey of biotechnology CEOs, a majority of firms in this area plan to increase their workforce over the next two years. However, many of the jobs will be short-term in nature, so chemists may need to get used to the idea of jumping from contract to contract. Moderator cut: snip
In other words get used to not having benefits and jumping from Kelly temp crap job to Kelly temp crap job for $15 an hour.
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19% flat out unemployment and only 35% of all BS and MS grads are part of the full time Labor Force and half of them are in crapo tech jobs in academia. So we are talking about a field where 80%+ are un or underemployed.
“It’s a labor market story,” not an education story, says one of the report’s authors, Harold Salzman, of the Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers University. Rather than staying with STEM for graduate studies or a first job, many of our most able college graduates are now opting out of the pipeline that the nation used to count on to carry gifted students into STEM careers.
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Last edited by 7G9C4J2; 11-11-2013 at 04:32 PM..
Reason: Copyright infringement - Don't quote more than 1 or 2 sentences of any article from elsewhere, or link to a copyrighted image
I didn't realize there were so many options for BS holders. I love science, it's the most interesting field and i'm planning on going into laboratory technology.
I don't know if anyone mentioned this, but could you be a Health Inspector for restaurants?
MSchemist, you just seem bitter and on some personal vendetta against science. Whatever.
Your argument is a complete failure because regardless of major or area, most people with any degree will get a job that pays more than $15 an hour. If you haven't gotten a decent paying job, then I would blame YOU and not your degree.
I work in the finance industry next to coworkers with degrees in English, Communications, and other "soft" areas. They got the jobs (which all pay over $50k) because they didn't limit their prospects because of their major.
MSchemist, you just seem bitter and on some personal vendetta against science. Whatever.
Your argument is a complete failure because regardless of major or area, most people with any degree will get a job that pays more than $15 an hour. If you haven't gotten a decent paying job, then I would blame YOU and not your degree.
I work in the finance industry next to coworkers with degrees in English, Communications, and other "soft" areas. They got the jobs (which all pay over $50k) because they didn't limit their prospects because of their major.
And you don't even have an argument. You are just blowing around BS.
Show me one freaking job ad that says we are looking for intelligent promising workers and don't mind what major you have. The college career fair I attended after I graduated was very telling. The only company there that advertised as wanting to meet with science majors was Aerotek freaking Scientific a temp agency.
You seem to be totally clueless or in complete denial. The unemployment figures for people with chemistry degrees speaks for itself. 19% and the labor force participation rate speaks even louder. Very few of the people I graduated with are still in the field. Most went to healthcare professional school, teaching or yes they got another degree and went into finance, accounting, business etc.
I have a pretty good job making nearly $70k but I see what is happening to the field and I would absolutely never in my life recommend pursuing a science degree unless you were 100% sure you were going to a professional school and not science grad school.
I look at indeed and chemistry all the time and the results are Aerotek, Kelly, Lab-temps and Indian Recruiters looking for suckers to work for $15 and hour no benefits. Heck even the American Chemical Society's career website the last time I checked was loaded with Kelly's temp crap. I would never let anyone else in my family consider getting a science degree. Chemistry and Biology consistently make the list on Forbes for worst degrees for jobs. They are one of the few media outlets being honest about it. I am one of the few people I graduated with still in the field.
Almost every industry that hires science grads is in huge decline. Govt, Pharma, the chemical industry.
You absolutely HATE science jobs and would manipulate your kids to avoid science as a career, yet you're still in it? What is the word for that? Hyprocrisy? Stop spreading your bitterness towards STEM careers to other folks who genuinely love science/math.
To the OP, I would suggest sticking with Biology as a career path if you truly love it. I've met Presidents and Directors of companies who just have Biology/Physics degrees. If you're passionate about something, you'll end up being really good at it. And eventually the money will come. Let's put it this way. The difference between a $70K/year job and a $35K/year job is only a couple hundred dollars per paycheck (after taxes/deductions). Will that few hundred dollars make you happier? That's for you to decide.
You absolutely HATE science jobs and would manipulate your kids to avoid science as a career, yet you're still in it? What is the word for that? Hyprocrisy? Stop spreading your bitterness towards STEM careers to other folks who genuinely love science/math.
No it is called having bills to pay. I have a good job right now and am satisfied. If I had it to do over again knowing what I know now I sure as heck would not nor would I want my children to repeat the mistake of falling for the we need more science grads bullschtick and wasting $20k+ and years of hard effort to get a science degree for companies that want to pay $15 an hour and not give benefits.
BTW arround here the difference between $35k and $70k here is living in a crap-hole apartment scraping by to a decent middle class lifestyle. and that is $1026 biweekly vs $1892 especially if you took student loans to finance that expensive biology degree that netted you the pay of a fast food manager who is better off because he/she doesn't have student loans.
Last edited by MSchemist80; 11-11-2013 at 02:21 PM..
I work in the finance industry next to coworkers with degrees in English, Communications, and other "soft" areas. They got the jobs (which all pay over $50k) because they didn't limit their prospects because of their major.
...I work in the finance industry too.... in healthcare finance. And I don't see any English, communications, or "soft" areas here.
I DO see a biology/chemistry graduate working data entry in the enrollment department though for about $30k a year.
OP:
Have you tried USAJobs.gov? There are government jobs at all education levels posted for positions all over the country, and even some in other countries. Some of them require a government clearance. If you have the opportunity to get a cleared job, do it! A security clearance is as good as money, even if the job you initially take does not pay all *that* well, because once you have it you can join job search sites like ClearanceJobs.com, where employers are looking to hire people that already have clearances. With this in mind, their pay scales are higher since employers are willing to pay more for someone who can go to work immediately rather than wait for your clearance investigation to be completed.
If you really love biology, don't let the naysayers bring you down. And if you have decided biology is not for you, check USAJobs anyway. You may find something that interests you. Good luck!
I DO see a biology/chemistry graduate working data entry in the enrollment department though for about $30k a year.
Aren't they still employed? Don't they have a foot in the door? Aren't they building real job experience that can lead to other more advanced careers in the future? How is that a problem?
Doesn't that prove that people with science degrees can get jobs?
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Stop spreading your bitterness towards STEM careers to other folks who genuinely love science/math. 
