Jobs for the Major
How this major affects a job search
When searching for jobs, science jobs have it so much easier. It's nice and simple. Unlike all your silly friends with liberal arts degrees, you're specifically trained for what you want to do. Go ahead, laugh. You have a science degree. You're officially granted a pass to cackle à la evil genius. Mwahaha.
You're also fully qualified to make drugs. The good kind, too—you know, the ones that don't require a Winnebago and vengeful employers with traumatic histories. If you had a career in mind before starting out (and you probably did), there's no reason not to go for it. You got through school, and this is the reward.
Assuming you're as goal-oriented as we think you are, you might not want to waste time looking at other options. But you're already here, so why not? You might discover a new way to use the degree you always wanted and have a career waiting that you didn't even know was a career.
So give it a shot.
Common Career Fields
Toxicologist. Did you know that the Ancient Greek word pharma originally meant medicine and poison? Well, it did. This isn't necessarily relevant, but it's the kind of random fact that might get you to the Double Jeopardy round. Score. Anyway, toxicologists look at what kind of damage pollution can do to humans and how to help. Help humans, that is. And the earth. Not the pollutants. Geeze, what are you, a supervillain?
Pharmacologist. This is the most obvious of all the jobs. You had to know this one was coming. This is the job you are 100% prepared for, the one you were probably looking at when you started. As a pharmacologist, you'll be developing and making new drugs for all kinds of purposes. No drug gets (legally) consumed without the help of a pharmacologist. Go you.
Immunologist. The body has its own way of fighting disease. We're talkin' about the immune system. You've probably heard about it somewhere, even if it's just to complain that yours was on vacation when the last bad flu rolled through town. The immune system needs to be studied. In fact, it's dying to be studied. And you're in a unique place to help out. You understand the body's chemistry and how to alter it with outside agents (that's what drugs are). You can learn to work with it and make it work better.
Biomedical Scientist. That sounds like a doctor. Is that a doctor? Not really, but you would be working with them and helping them out. You know when doctors say they're going to send something to the lab for tests? That'd be you. You'd be the lab. Your tests would help diagnose diseases and determine if the treatments are working. Back in the day, biomedical scientists were the people who first said, "Hey, maybe we should stop draining the blood out of sick people." Ah, novel idea.
Research Scientist. (Requires a graduate degree) Maybe you're all about pure science. You're like an explorer, but what you want to map out is research. First off, that's pretty cool. Secondly, there's a lot of potential for that, both in life sciences and in medicine. There are a lot of pretty famous diseases that don't have cures or even treatments. You know, like senioritis…and boredom.
Medical Sales Representative. Maybe you're more of a people person. That's great. Pharmacology can still be important. In the U.S., drugs are treated like any other consumer product. That means someone has to sell them to doctors, hospitals, and patients. It's about making the case that your particular drug is better than the other guy's. Having a pharmacology degree means you'll know this for sure. That's right, say goodbye to promoting medication that, unbeknownst to you, has particularly bad side effects. Like boogie fever. Yikes.
Science Writer. A lot of science happens out there every day and someone needs to write it all down or else it goes to…wherever forgotten science goes to. Probably an island with dinosaurs on it, if movies have taught us anything. Science writers keep track of breakthroughs, experiments, developments, and everything else in the science world. With a pharmacology degree, you'll have an understanding of science. If you have the ability to make that accessible to both experts and laypeople, this is a good career for you.
Current unemployment of the major
3.2%Percentage of majors who get a higher degree after college
55%Stats obtained from this source.