Anyone about to leave college and have no idea what to do?

ispeshaled

ispeshaled

CAGiversary!
Feedback
1 (100%)
I'm currently in my senior year of college. I switched out of Electrical Engineering 2 years ago (hated it) and now I'm majoring in Biology.

The problem is...I have no clue what I'm going to do once I leave here. I may be staying another semester or 2 to take a few more classes but that doesn't stop this fear from setting in. I'm just now starting to realize that a BS in Biology is pretty useless in the real world.

Any other almost grads out there?
 
Why did you wait this long to look into what jobs you can hold?

Though don't most biology majors go into research and medical fields? Maybe some museums could use you to. And you could always become a teacher, or a professor if you go to graduate school.

edit: Not sure how useful this is (I know little about biology), but here's a site with possible careers for biology majors

http://facweb.furman.edu/~jsnyder/careers/careerlist.html
 
I've been looking into going to Pharmacy or Optometry school sometime after I graduate. Not sure if I'm chasing a piped dream though. My credentials aren't exactly competitive.
 
[quote name='ispeshaled']I've been looking into going to Pharmacy or Optometry school sometime after I graduate. Not sure if I'm chasing a piped dream though. My credentials aren't exactly competitive.[/quote]

Your credentials aside, how is that actually a useless degree? Those are tailor made for specific fields. If you can't get a job it's likely the job market or your fault, not the degree.

edit: I think I figured out what you mean. You're not sure if you can get into grad school and may be stuck with a BS in bio alone, right?
 
I'd suggest changing your major to microbiology, that way you can make some decent money when you get out. A BS degree in Biology while not exactly worthless isn't anywhere near as useful as microbio, biochem, biotech degree.
 
I am a senior as well with a biochem degree. In the North East it's pretty hard to find jobs with a BS in Biology, unless you have another major such as Economics or Marketing. You might want to enquire about biotech companies around your area who are looking for people that have a science background and can be trained to do lab tech stuff. I can tell you that lab life sucks. If I was you I would use the BS in Bio more to do marketing or enter the business side of the company. Believe it or not that might be easier then actually trying to get a job as a bench scientist.

Also, if the shit hits the fan and you desperately need a job see if your school has research labs and find out if they need help. You can find a job that pays about $35,000 before taxes with decent benefits and the opportunity to take classes. Hope this helps.
 
Well, I'm about to leave but I do have a job lined up. My advice is to just look through the list of jobs that your college's career center must have, look at things that seem remotely interesting and apply. It's almost certain that one of them will be interesting, have aspects that appeal to you, have opportunites for free grad school, people you like, etc. It's not as if the job you get now will be your job for the rest of your life, so just do something that seems appealing and will pay the bills while you figure out what to do.
 
[quote name='kill3r7'] I can tell you that lab life sucks.[/quote]


It's not that bad, in fact compared to customer service it's quite pleasant.
 
If you enjoy school get a masters, it just breaks down doors.

I was engineering physics as an undergrad and realized nobody wanted something so generalized, so I went back for a master's in Electrical Engineering. Within 2 months I landed a job with the government that pays $50k, pays back all my loans, and a 12k signon bonus. Life is sweet right now.

My suggestion more schooling.
 
[quote name='brendan424']If you enjoy school get a masters, it just breaks down doors.

I was engineering physics as an undergrad and realized nobody wanted something so generalized, so I went back for a master's in Electrical Engineering. Within 2 months I landed a job with the government that pays $50k, pays back all my loans, and a 12k signon bonus. Life is sweet right now.

My suggestion more schooling.[/QUOTE]

A Masters is worth it as long as it's in Engineering or Business.

I have a BS in Business/Marketing but am going to school for an associates in Web Design/Interactive Media because shelling out money for a masters in Art is just not worth it, I can spend $3,000 and get the skills I need somewhere else.

Don't feel bad about not knowing what you want to do. I graduated when I was 21 --- bad idea. I was just not ready. I took a crappy job and was completely miserable. Think things through and find out what you really like.
 
I posted this question about not knowing what to do a long time ago to the parents. They said the following:

Get a job working fast food somewhere, you'll probably come up with something real quick.
 
sorry if this seems obvious, but try talking to some advisors and if your school has a career center, go check it out if you haven't already. There's always lab work for anyone with a degree. Don't fret though, you've got time.
 
I graduate next quarter with a degree in Computer Science. I am only 20 so I am kind of not sure what I am going to do. I have an internship, but now that I'm getting close to graduating I'm not sure if they are going to offer me a full time position. Even if they don't I can still use it on my resume as work experience. So maybe you can talk to someone at your school to help you find an internship. It might lead to a job or help you figure out what you want to do.
 
Grad school is the ultimate destination for anybody truly unsure, but in reality, there's always a job that'll take a person with a college degree. You might have to start low, but with BS in Bio (easy way out after EE, not that I blame you).

I have the other "problem", wherein there are too many choices. Biochemical Engineering, I can go to grad school and get a Masters in Engineering (likely Cornell for 1 year if I were to get in), Masters of Science (3 years), PhD (become a professor), or go straight into work and take the money (entry level $60K, highly sought supposedly). Leaning towards a Masters, don't know which. Likely to decide in the next year or so.
 
I graduate in May with my Masters in Computer Science. Part of me wants to pack up and leave town (to find a new job) and the other part wants to stay here and enjoy the job I have now.

OP, I can't give much advice on finding a job with a bio degree. My gf has a bio degree and has been trying to find something since December. She's considering going back to get her Masters. I would look for a lab position, or check around at museums and places like that.
 
A friend of mine had a BS in Bio and went into medical sales. While at first he was just pushing drugs to docs, it was crazy good money. Then he worked for a pacemaker company and could actually be in the operating room when they were put into people, which he thought was quite neat.
 
Thanks for the advice.

Sometimes I really regret changing my major from EE. I would've hated it but at least I can get a job with decent pay with it.

So I've thought about it...and I think what I'll work on the most from here on out is getting into a Pharmacy school...trying to raise my grades a bit with another semester or 2...getting a job at a pharmacy to gain some experience...doing well on the PCAT. Working in a lab will be back up. As much as I enjoy the labs I am/were in...30g a year long term just isn't going to cut it for me.
 
[quote name='ispeshaled']Thanks for the advice.

Sometimes I really regret changing my major from EE. I would've hated it but at least I can get a job with decent pay with it.

So I've thought about it...and I think what I'll work on the most from here on out is getting into a Pharmacy school...trying to raise my grades a bit with another semester or 2...getting a job at a pharmacy to gain some experience...doing well on the PCAT. Working in a lab will be back up. As much as I enjoy the labs I am/were in...30g a year long term just isn't going to cut it for me.[/quote]

Degrees don't determine where you work... it's just that you're more likely to be considered for a position in your major. My cousin had a ceramics engineering degree from U. of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign yet she was hired by Motorola in their accounting department (go figure). She did make use of it however later on when she was transferred to an engineering department and she did a lot of surveying for Motorola overseas like Guam, Malaysia, Germany, Portugal, and Singapore. The real important thing is that you get the degree at all. It's your key to opening many doors; some doors open easier than others.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
bread's done
Back
Top