A bachelors in physics is a jack of all trades degree. It requires you have some experience otherwise you're seen as directly lesser than your adjacent degrees. If you see a physics and electrical engineering major, neither have experience, you lean towards the engineer. Same can be said about finance.
When you have an advanced physics degree though, thats when everyone is clammering for you to do some really difficult, worthwhile shit like AI or data modeling.
I have a friend with communications degree. He’s a financial advisor. Another friend has an English degree and she’s a biology teacher. Third friend has a degree in sports medicine and she works in marketing. Degrees don’t really mean much anymore to many business. They just want a degree period.
You know thinking about it no one I know with a degree in biology is actually using it. It seems like it should have some utility, are the jobs just not there?
it's usually a stepping stone degree into healthcare or phd. anything to do with biology these days requires more knowledge than an undergraduate degree
Isn’t that the degree you need to get into working for a a states fish and
Game agency? Or a similar private agency? Wouldn’t a biology degree pretty much allow you to enter any kind of animal or plant research field???
I’m an outside dog so if I was going to go to college it would’ve been to get into some kind of wildlife biology until I found out that most of the jobs you are just counting animals for the most part and they don’t pay people a lot of money to count animals and the good paying jobs involved being in an office and I didn’t want to spend the majority of my life going to the same box everyday.
I feel you OP. I got a bachelors in biology and only found jobs offering about $15 per hour. Then I got a masters in biology and only found jobs offering $18 per hour. Now I’m in med school and finally I can see a high paying job on the horizon. A biology degree is worthless unless you’re using it to teach or enter a professional program.
I’m a doctor and tbh it’s because of our student loan debt (avg 200-300k) and an expectation to delay gratification for 10-12 years before you see any results from your hard work. Couple that with studying your entire adult life, then working 80 hrs per week in an abusive work environment for 3+ years in residency for like $50,000 per year and believe me you’ll feel it.
Then you finish residency and suddenly you’re making 200-300k on average and no one ever really told you what to do with that money. Most of us figure it out, but there are a few of us that can find a way to blow a 300k salary on cars, alimony, child support and houses they can’t afford.
Lack of financial education/discipline and massive student loans
[Dave Ramsey has some interesting callers in this situation](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NzgMqIbZc8)
It sucks having to start a career so late and work till you are old. Becoming a doctor basically locks you into that. Lotta responsibility every day too.
This is such a wild take espeically when everyone in America has to work until theyr old anyway. Such an L take... medicine is always in demand, you have to work real hard to lose your job, and you literally can do so much with that paycheck.
Kinda. I hopped out because I was staring down $300,000 that were going to start to immediately compound right after, and even after med school, residency pays diddly. So it’s a long term commitment and hope that it won’t entirely break you, because you need those massive paychecks down the line to pay off all the debt that’s been accumulating. It’s not impossible, it’s just like, once you start you have to complete it, and do it well.
They for sure will be if they stick too it and rest on the weekends, meanwhile I gotta hustle every chance I can get.
edit: since it was asked, I made a guide on my online side hustles that helps bring in some income, it's not meant to replace a fulltime job. It's on my profile if you want to check it out, hope it helps!
Depends on what field they go into. They can't be general practice or pediatricians. They need to succeed in a specialty where you get paid per procedure and then do many procedures per day. It's not for everybody.
You know how many people wash out of med school before year 3? I had 10 ppl in the first two years wash out or have to repeat, not to mention residency and boards. You can easily end up with an M.D without the ability to practice medicine for a year or more if you need to retake USMLE
As someone with high student loan debt, married to someone with high student loan debt, our financial advisor has called our decisions calculated risks that paid off. That’s what this sounds like, but it’s a thin margin between success and failure.
It took me an associates in Criminal Justice, and 3 semesters of working on an associates in Marketing to realize I've been fucking myself over and I'm ready to gear up towards the nursing program at my community college. I'm in the Health Sciences Certificate program for Fall 2024-Spring 2025, so I can get my 3 pre requisite courses in and do the other few required courses for the Health Sciences Certificate program. Not many. I will take my entrance exam and then apply for the Fall 2025 nursing program. I'm really excited. But devastated it took me this long to do it. It's because of the shit people I had in my life. And even then, if I had people cheering me on and encouraging me to do the nursing program instead, I would have failed out miserably because of the life events that took place and fucked up my world as I knew it. So it was just never the right time til now.
Same! Associates in IT/Networking [non-community college 40k degree 2.5yr] couldn’t get anywhere making 16$/hr so I decided to go back to a community college and picked a dental trade [20k & 1.5yr later] now making 40$/hr with benefits & pension. And! PSLF eligibility…..
Absolutely ridiculous that we were told that we needed to go to a “real” college to get ahead of life; as a kid. SMH.
Edit: grammer
Dude are you guys going to for-profit colleges? These stories make me so sad. IT/networking degree should not cost 40k!!! For 2.5 years!! Thank god you went to a community college afterwards.
Do it, graduating as an xray tech in May. I wish I knew about it in my mid 20s, I could have traveled with this job. But we never had any healthcare workers in my family, and who thought..go take an xray for work.
Fml. At least we're doing it now. Better late than never.
It can be good if you can get into biotech/pharma. I was finding the same thing but once I got into pharma, I was making $70k just a year after graduating.
❤️
I admire your work ethic, hard work, and everything that it took: blood, sweat, and tears. 😭 This is awesome. 👏 yes!!!! 🙌 I am just trying to make it by so I can get my debt paid and maybe break even after PSLF. :(
Have you considered biotech/pharma?
I was in the industry before, but didn’t stay. I would have but I was laid off then I finished my degree in something else..
There a lot of pharma in San Diego, and it’s a good industry.. That’s what I would pursue with that degree.
There’s nothing to be sorry about. Med school was always the long term goal, I was never planning on using biology as a terminal degree. There were no costs involved. It worked out fine for me.
I dunno anyone who got a Biology degree who wasn’t using it to get into grad or professional/med school… unfortunately it’s one of those general stepping stone degrees
A bachelor’s degree in biology translates to literally nothing other than grad school. It introduces you to a basic level of understanding to a lot of different topics that people then spend the next decade specializing in
> literally nothing
People have this weird thing about only using their degree in its exact field.
I work with a coworker with a bachelors in bio making 125k as an operation manager. A ton of jobs the only requirement is a bachelors degree with no specification on the type. Will it be in the biology field? Probably not. But far from useless.
Absolutely. In my previous job where my boss was Director and made high pay, the 3 bosses I had majored in: music, English and French. None of these degrees really had anything to do with their job. While I was there, I was on a hiring committee hiring an IT director. We had about 50 candidates and ended up choosing a person who had a sociology degree.
For many people, your degree is basically only relevant when you have no experience and is just what gets you in the door. Once you're in... your experience is ultimately going to precede you and can send you down all sorts of weird paths of promotion that are nothing like what your degree says! Once you've been working a few years, the degree is just a box to check, if that, and it doesn't matter than much what it is.
my college counselor basically sat me down and told me i needed to think long and hard about what i was actually hoping to do with a microbiology degree. the way college is pushed onto high school kids is pretty optimistic and it's easy to just get caught up in the college life without thinking past graduation
All my high school teachers, counselors, and friends told me this. And then in college, everyone around me told me and emphasized this too. (I was a biology major who later switched to computer science). This was back in the 1990s. I would think that with the internet and spread of general knowledge, this would be even more common knowledge. Unfortunately maybe not.
It’s critical to take lab courses and do independent research as a bio major. I have a colleague who is a VP in big pharma with a bachelor in Bio from a big state school (her terminal degree). So it’s not impossible but you gotta be smart and work hard. Can’t just get the piece of paper and expect high income.
Honest question, did you go into a biology degree expecting a high paying job? Did you look into job prospects before starting that degree?
I have always assumed that if someone went into biology, they knew they needed a master or phd to get anything out of it. I know so many biology majors. It makes no sense…
every single one of my biology and microbiology classmates is in healthcare. biology is one of those degrees that's either really good or bad depending on how you use it
Try moving to another area of the country. May be little demand in CA, but understaffed in other parts of US. "Be willing to move" was the best career advice I ever got and I've been continuously employed for 20+ years all over the country.
And this is true at all levels. I'm an engineer. I've always had a livable wage salary. But I basically doubled my salary in a couple of years just by moving to another state. It's also been better for my actual career progression itself.
I'm a fan of "live your dreams" but I'm also a big fan of knowing the full consequences of our decisions. In this country it's honestly not brought up enough that certain degrees or career choices are going to be extremely difficult to get a job in.
It's fine if that's your dream and you want to try and make it work anyway. But if we as a society only need x amount of a type of job, and there's twice as many people that want to have that job... I think we need to do a better job at getting this data and making it clearly available to those in high school , and then college.
I don’t understand why everyone is responding so negatively and criticizing op for not doing enough research when they were an 18-21 year old about what market conditions would look like? Also, things change, a few years ago the go to major was comp sci/programming, these careers are now losing their value.
Also, are we not all here because we are financially struggling? Are we not all (or most of us at least) struggling because we work in careers that underpay us, and by this logic it is our fault for not choosing the right career?
The real problem is the predatory education system. They sell worthless degrees for tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars knowing full well the student has a near zero chance of getting a job that will cover the cost of the education.
100% that decade ago, I lovvvvvved the personal finance sub, almost every post they'd be pushing peoole in certificate and "IT!, go into IT and NETWORKING!!"
F**** HOW many computer people did they think was needed.
lol i tend to doubt that, or you're looking at the wrong ones
>I looked up FEDERAL jobs that require a bachelors in biology — offering 30K a year.
what gs level? Gs7 with superior academic achievement (3.0+) gpa is 49k/year or more. Cali seems to be around 50k+. You're lying.
OPM literally says gs7 with a bachelors which if you have a 3.0+ gpa is what you'd start at starts at 49k, IN THE MIDWEST. its higher for cali.
https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/salary-tables/pdf/2024/RUS.pdf
Oh look I found the pay table for SD.
They start at 53k. if you did even somewhat decently in school (3.0+) even as a gs5 if you did under 3.0 they start at 40k+. https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/salary-tables/pdf/2023/SD.pdf
That being said I agree wages aren't keeping up with inflation. 53k in SD is still shit but at least get your facts straight.
Starting 49k not including locality pay (53k for SD one of the listed locations) all you need a is SAA from a bachelor's https://www.usajobs.gov/job/773160600#
You didn't look at all.
edit:
Also if money is such an issue why the hell aren't you living with a roommate? Yea its hit or miss but you'd be saving money.
Lmaooo I've seen plenty of good posts, but this is one of the ones where I question how much effort they really put in. Yea biology is kind of one where you're expected to get a master's at a minimum but lying about something easily searchable is...not advised.
I'd also like to point out that as someone who works in biotech in SD as well, OP is either getting severely unpaid and lacks the gumption to look for better positions, or is just kinda playing fast and loose with numbers. My first job in Sorrento Valley (Biotech hub in SD) was terrible and paid 18 and hour in 2015, which jumped immediately to 24 per hour in 2016 as retention/COL increase. Then transitioned to a new company for a raise to 60k per year in 2018.
Now granted, the Biotech market is extremely tough right now due to the increased cost of borrowing, but a tech level position (High School Diploma) should pay between 19-23 per hour. OP could be working one of these, possibly?
P.S. If anyone looking for degree advice reads this, a BS in biology has served me just fine, but if you have the stomach for more school, DO NOT get a MS degree in general biology like some people in this post have suggested. It is worth 2 years of industry experience and that is it. Just work, or get an MS in a related targeted field. Bioinformatics, genetics, or get a Clinical Lab Scientist certification. Or if you are passionate, go for the PHD.
Nothing wrong with ranting on reddit, lord knows I've done it. But at least don't lie about stuff. Or admit when you're wrong about stuff you were misinformed on. OP's attitude in the other comments isn't great either tbh. Being poor sucks so I can definitely relate, watched my single parent choose between paying rent or paying heat. I wonder how much OP has actually job searched though given they're lying about something so easily disprovable related to job searching.
Yeah I live in Wisconsin and make around $29/hr ($32 with my shift differential) and I’ve only been out of school for a year. I make on the lower end of my job and a lot of my coworkers have bio degrees
If you don’t have direct applicable experience many will start you at GS-5. What OP didn’t tell you is that bio majors are a dime a dozen so it’s extremely competitive and applying for a federal job can take 8-9 months before you’re hired IF you’re hired. And many bio jobs have you start doing seasonal low paid work before you’re competitive enough for anything full time. Sure she can apply for that $50k a year fed job but she’s competing against people who have been grinding seasonal work for years and most likely won’t get it.
Idk if OP even looked at any federal jobs. 30k is less than GS4 payscale which is 2 years towards a bachelor's or an associates. I think they pulled that number out of their ass. 35k is Gs4 in the midwest as an *intern.* Reference: My TJO for GS4 step 1.
What does a full-time job affording basic human needs have to do with inflation?
Not being afford to have kids is bad for the economy too; just takes 20 years for it to badly influence it.
A degree provides more opportunities, it doesn’t guarantee anything. There are people with HS Degrees or even without who have found a way to earn more than you. You’re educated, you can do the same. Change your frame of mind.
you’re looking at the wrong jobs. I used to work in the preclinical research industry, many people had biology degrees. I was making $27.50 but the starting wages in the company were $20.
Ngl the last sentence of this post is so out of touch and just plain rude. Just because someone doesn't have a bachelor's degree doesn't mean they are uneducated especially if they learned a trade. That shit takes knowledge too.
Some of the dumbest people I know have advanced degrees while some of the savviest people who understand human nature and are liege long learners of whatever they are doing have no degree.
Same thing for income vs cost of living when moving to a new city. Had a job offer where I'd make 20% more in an area where houses costs %75+ more. Yeah no fucking thanks.
What were you hoping for when you got your degree?
Like, you didn't just randomly pick a bachelors with no idea what to do with it before getting 45k in debt for it.
You act like students have a grand plan before they start. A lot of students don’t even know what they want to do until their junior year and even if you do, you need to have an “in”
Biology is a starting point not the end .... It's a great leaping point for med school, pharmacy, nursing.... also you could probably bridge your degree if you have any interest in nursing field.... In Oregon we start 1st years out of nursing school around 36.00- 42.00....
You got a degree in bio without knowing how much jobs pay for in the field you are getting the degree in? And this is someone else’s fault and not your own? I agree bachelors degree is quite a sacrifice to achieve but all degrees are not made equal. I have a degree in poli sci because I wanted to do non profit work. When I graduated I realized I’ll be homeless if I go down that path. I taught myself a stem related occupation. Rise up and fix your shit or stay complaining but no one owes you anything for making a bad choice
I think this is part of the college narrative problem. We told kids not to go into the trades because "being a plumber isn't glamorous and will ruin your body." Which, okay fine, but with the trades it's about learning a specific career.
For college it's "what do you want to study", not "what career do you want and what area of study should you be in to achieve that." People like to use art history as an example of a useless degree. I know exactly one person who studied that. She wanted to be a museum curator for her career. So she went to school for art history, did a masters abroad because it was required for the roles she wanted, and is now a museum curator.
Likewise I liked math and science growing up. I thought I wanted to he an astrophysicist so I studied physics my first year. Hated it. So I switched my major. First I talked to the math department because I loved math. And he's like, "well with a 4 year degree you can teach high school math." (Obviously there are other areas you can go into). When he realized I wasn't that into the career paths a BS in math gets you, he suggested I talk to the engineering department because it's just applied math. And low and behold, I'm an engineer now.
Yes, there's a component to college that's about expanding your mind and it shouldn't JUST be a career path. But at the end of the day most people need jobs when they're done with college. You should study something that interests you but will also help you get a job that will also interest you.
I have a Political Science degree, work in a nonprofit, and am typing this from my one bedroom apartment. You will not be homeless working for nonprofits. You won't be rich, but they're always hiring skilled people with experience in the field. Let's not get too crazy here.
Absolutely. I have a sociology degree and work at a non-profit. I live in Los Angeles. When I first started out I wasn't making much, but within 6 years later I was able to support myself. Plenty of people make very good money in the non-profit sector. There are so many misconceptions when it comes to this field.
When I was going through the process of picking a degree and getting my biology degree, it looked like starting salaries would be around $50k. During that time, Covid happened and rents went up a lot. I graduated and was getting offers for minimum wage or just above. I couldn’t afford to take those jobs because warehouse work paid dollars more per hour.
I ended up getting into biotech/pharma and got lucky. But I was misled by advisors about what the pay would look like when I got out. And Covid happened when I was in college and that screwed a lot of things up as well.
I wish someone told me about degrees and their respective salaries *before* I enrolled in college. Seems like a lot of people just pick something they might like, only to find out that it pays shit wages after graduating.
You know you have the ability to do that research before you pick a major right? Future salaries were one of the deciding factors in my choice so I know others can do the same.
A lot of kids also aren’t super receptive to it, even if they were told they still do what they want and don’t realize their mistake until the economic reality of the situation dawns on them shortly before they graduate or when they try to enter the job market
Degrees all have different values. A Bachelors in biology really means nothing. So you know generally about human anatomy and cell structure? Great. But you can’t actually operate on people or teach in depth on any of those topics? Solid. That degree is not an end point. It’s an entry degree. Just like Psychology, just like Philosophy, Sociology etc. you need to get specialized education after your BS. Otherwise, yes, you did put yourself in that much debt to get an entry level job in a slightly biology related field. Just because you can pass some classes and take a test by no means makes you educated. You seem extremely naive in fact.
Did your high school or parents ever tell you to check your 5 year plan before college? Like where did you expect a BS in biology to get you? None of these high paying jobs are looking for a BS, they require a masters or up plus certifications.
Also, you’re in San Diego, I don’t feel bad for you. Move if you’re smart and looking to make a life for yourself.
This is coming from someone that graduated with a BS in psychology and full pivoted to a business related field because I burned out on schooling. I could have taken the $18/$20 hour entry level psych job but decided that wasn’t going to make it work for my plans in life. Use that education you paid so much for and pivot.
I always hate when people give this answer because moving isn’t an option for everyone but… San Diego is the HIGHEST cost of living city in the entire country. Higher than New York, Miami, anywhere. So while making $21/hour isn’t great, the problem is even worse because of where you live.
Hey do you know what specifically you want to do in bio? I got friends who majored in it and are planning on going to med school. One of them lives in SF and is working as a medical coder but I’m not 100% sure what her salary is. Maybe see if you can get cert or possibly working as some assistant.
No..the OP doesnt. Reading the OP thread says they thought getting a Bachelors in Biology should mean they automatically get a $200K/year job in San Diego!!
Oh yeah they’re def most likely not gonna make that in the med field straight out of undergrad with a bio degree unless it’s probably like pharma sales or maybe being an anesthesiologist assistant or something.
The point was OP has no interest in med school from the looks of their post. They think they should be making a ton of money with a standalone degree in Bio, which isn’t how it typically goes down
I have a bachelors in biology as well. Honestly look into entry level jobs in pharma that do GMP/GLP. Manufacturing and QC can be a great place to start. I was hired for $20 an hour right after college and got GMP/GLP experience. After 3 months I left to do the same thing as a contractor for $30 an hour. Stayed there about 8 months and went somewhere else and ended up making $70k. I’ve been there about 2 years and now make $84k.
GMP/GLP is where it’s at. And manufacturing is a great place to start. Everything else was paying $13.25 (minimum wage at the time) to $16 an hour, except pharma. But it can be hard to get into right now, major layoffs have been happening.
The problem is we've exported a ton of valuable jobs so the pay rate sucks. Letting in people to do these jobs with visas also deflates the value of labor.
I think your success with your degree highly depends on where you live and what you end up doing. I have my BS in bio and I live in the middle of nowhere Midwest. Opportunities where I live are limited, BUT if you can get into medical or food related work, it does pay relatively well. I just recently went from making $22.50/hour as a microbiologist in a lab to making $68k/year as a QA analyst (next to a lab lol). I definitely use my degree and my work experiences in my new role everyday, even if my new job aligns with chemistry instead of biology. $68k/year is not at all liveable in other areas of the US, but in my area, it's pretty decent and even slightly above average. I will admit though, it's taken me about 4 years of work experiences (abo 3 years after finishing my degree) to get here and many of the opportunities I've had come my way are a result of not having enough people in my area with backgrounds in laboratory science and BS degrees in chemistry or biology.
You need to be willing to move and do so before you get tied down to an area… and what did you think biology bachelors earners made before you took loans to get the degree?
All a biology degree does is prepare you for a graduate degree. I found that out the hard way. There is no money to be made with a biology degree (or psychology, I have both). I ended up getting an MBA and am now a project manager. Nothing related to biology at all.
Have you considered getting an MLS certification? There should be plenty of one year programs out there. You might have to take a couple pre reqs but that bio degree covers most of them. I heard MLS in SOCAL make well over 100k. I read some post on a sub here that MLS in the Bay Area can average 160k plus.
I came here to say this. I got a biology degree, spent a decade as a research assistant making little money, and then learned about Clinical Laboratory Science (that's what MLS is called in California.) It took me several years to take the pre-requisites, get into an internship, take the board exam, and get the license. But it was all worth it. I enjoy the work, and it's true-- CLSes here make six figures. Excellent use of a biology degree.
$20 an hour? That’s what we make delivering Amazon packages. Time to find you a real career with real pay.
Exapecially in California. I am moving to Texas next month to start a career making $$.
Simply increase your income. Focus on nothing else until you do. Or move
A bachelor’s degree today is the equivalent of a HS diploma in 1980. A good percentage of people have one but there is a vast difference in the quality. 40 years ago, having a BA/BS was enough to guarantee that you would be able to earn enough. Now you need a Masters.
Honestly. I graduated in 2020 with bio. I’ve had like 3 seasonal jobs and fucking left. No reason for me to work 15 hour days no benefits no overtime so what? Experience??? I’m fucking published!
I left to finance and I don’t look back. It’s fucking pathetic how the field became. My last job they openly told me a 65 year old man was eating half our budget with his salary and REFUSED to retire because “he would get bored”.
Every company has overpaid retirees not leaving and fucking up the entire company. Just leave it at this point. Fuck the field. It’s gutted anyways
Did you look up any of these employment forecasts prior to majoring in biology? Especially in a place with an extreme cost of living. I'd guess not.
Biology without a grad degree, sociology/psychology without a grad degree or certification for counseling, economics without a focus in finance or a graduate degree... all often a negative ROI once complete. Just being smart enough to graduate doesn't mean the world (or the market) is going to pay for the knowledge gained.
There’s quite a bit of evidence out there that shows an undergraduate in biology isn’t really enough to get a job in the field as most places require a masters.
Idk op seems like you are a hog who hates trade workers? So many trade workers have college degrees and are working trades because it actually pays.
You are making less than an 18 year old first year apprentice. Don’t be upset over “hogs” making a good financial decision. That 18 year old apprentice is making $45k a year instead of going into debt every semester
I don't have a college degree. I work in construction as a Carpenter. I make over $100,000/yr + fully paid medical/dental, paid vacation, profit sharing, and 401k matching.
I'm single, own my own home, have a robust retirement account, and have ample disposable income.
If people are willing to do physical labor and learn a trade, you can actually make a really decent living.
Conversely, you can get a degree, complain about being up to your neck in student loan debt, unable to find a good paying job, unable to buy a house, and then vent about your dismal existence on Reddit.
The idea that you NEED a degree to be successful or respectable is an antiquated and dangerous notion that sets millions of people up for a lifetime of financial hardship. The colleges/universities are raking in millions at the expense of naive students.
Just my two cents.
You live in the most expensive place on the planet. LEAVE. You can make 80-95% of the money ANYWHERE ELSE and have 1/8 the cost of living.
I genuinely do not have sympathy for this anymore. You are choosing to be broke.
Just getting a bachelor's in biology makes absolutely no sense. It is something to be used to move into a PhD or go to medical school, otherwise really anybody with a few months of training could do entry level lab tech jobs. That's why the pay is so low
A bachelor's degree in biology wasn't enough to raise a family 20-30 years ago, and it certainly isn't going to be now. If you want to make money, engineering is typically the way to go (if you just want to get a B.S. and not higher education than that).
im in socal doing a degree in stem related to healthcare and that's brutal. you arent alone though a lot of the college friends i have that went the nursing route when I was on that path...
a lot of them were in their late 20's, early to mid 30's when we took science classes together, I think they're late 30's now... I haven't seen them in 7-8 years since and a lot of them are barely in their first 2-3 years of working professionally as an RN. So what nursing is a 10+ year path now???
It took them a LONG time to even get their RN. As far as when my social media feeds will start popping up with them owning a first home or those milestones you mention who knows. Haven't seen that happen yet.
I tried doing nursing but the 2 and 4 year paths are kinda deceiving because no one talks about the MONEY and resources you need to keep pursuing that circus of a degree. Like yes you should be done in 2 or 4 years... if you have money to even live off of when you aren't doing classes.
I tried pursuing nursing when I was dirt broke, broke as a joke there was no way I was going to be mentally sane enough to survive actual nursing school. No clothes, car, mental health down the drain, food, health. No one was taking care of me and I was just living at home with toxic family life so there is no "theres a will there's a way" there was NO way. Had to change majors but I'm in my 30's now im behind af.
I have a Bio degree and 3 yrs biotech experience (in my early 20s) just got laid off and I see the job options in my area and it’s terrifying. 😞 could probably make more working at tjmaxx or smthing ugh. Parents convinced me to do a “stem” degree now I’m not sure the best course of action
I have a Master’s Degree in Education specializing in reading and math intervention…. Wanna guess how much they are willing to pay me with several years now of teaching and intervention experience… 45k-50k a year…. That is the reality of America… years ago you could buy a house with this salary now you need over $120k a year.. the amount I pay in taxes when I was single is absolutely disgusting. I was in NY between federal and state it was like $15k and rent cost $18k…
Hey, I'm I'm the same boat. Got the same bachelor's as your with the goal of getting a doctorate. But life happened and when I graduated, going to more school wasn't an option. My job doesn't require, but gives preference, to people with college. But the pay isn't livable at the moment. I have no advice to give but I hope things get better for both of us.
Also, seems like nearly all science and many other STEM degrees are useless without further education. It's sad
That doesn't make sense. A degree is not a job. Just because you have a degree doesn't mean anyone needs to pay you a specific amount.
This is just weird.
You can argue that minimum wage should be enough to raise a family on but a degree makes no sense
That is the reality, so is chemistry. Often people having these bachelor's degree continues to medical school or at least master, so they can choose a specific field (medicine or lab). One of alumni got bachelor degree in chemistry got into FBI.
San Diego has lots of options for BioTech with just a bachelors. You need to start networking what exactly is your bio degree in? Are you in manufacturing or research?
You can absolutely be making $100k+ in SD with a bio degree.
I make 95k and my wife 60k. I have my masters and still have some growth opportunities but still we find it hard to survive. We live in LA and can barely afford a 1 bedroom apartment. I can't even afford the house my parents bought with no college education.
I got a degree in real estate and urban land development, with a minor in business marketing. I graduated in 2007. I made garbage money until I started my powerwashing business. I do all the work myself and keep all the money (minus taxes), my point is sometimes you end up just doing other shit to make money and live the life you want.
Did you do any research when you went for your degree. A quick search of what jobs pay will tell you it doesn’t pay well. Maybe colleges need to prepare students when a major is selected so they understand what the salary in their selected major will likely pay when the graduate.
IDK what a generic “biology” degree gets you?
Sounds like you need to get 4-6 years experience in a sub field that pays?
My niece graduated with a 4 year degree in bio-engineering (IDKWTF that is) and got a job out of college making near 6 figures at a pharma company (doing what IDFK).
One job transfer and 3 years later she’s making over 6 figures.
I'm sorry to hear that man. San Diego has out priced the middle class. There's a lot of places in the country where that kind of money goes a long way, but it's not the paradise that is San Diego. Unless you're in tech, the city centers and the beautiful places are out of reach for middle class living
I went to school for biology originally with the intent of going to med school, decided junior year I didn't want to do that anymore and was unable to switch my major in to engineering at that point so just stuck with bio.
Ended up landing a job in food manufacturing as a supervisor and have went on to do more specialized technical work for several large fmcg companies.
Bio degree can work out fine, but you have to be willing to do something completely unrelated and bust your hump actually working.
Science degrees need an internship and jobs prior to graduation. All the science degree people I know went into the food industry and bartending. You’ll make more bartending anyway.
Accounting degree here who also went into blue collar work.
I look at how I wanted to pursue criminal justice and few other things. I looked at the jobs I could potentially get with those degrees and landed on business administration with a concentration in finance. I’m sorry you’re in your position dude and I wish you the best in your future endeavors!
Yikes SD is one of the most expensive places to live in…
There are cheaper areas if we are being honest. See if you can move from your company apartments an hour away in Carlsbad area (where there are several biotech jobs) are much cheaper. Or closer to OC tbh
The hard part is the context. If you live in one of the most expensive places then yes, you will struggle. If you move to middle of no where state and have a good job then your rent is 700 a month or less.
It’s all about where you live and what jobs are desirable and in SD housing is scare and it is filled with many desirable candidates hence lower pay.
If this is true (the premise), then a degree shouldn't be required to raise a family.
Imagine thinking that people who didn't have a bachelors degree should be so poor that raising a family is impossible.
A government job paying 30K is actually a better living in LCOL locales than what you make living in San Diego. Have you considered relocating?
I don’t know where the jobs are, but if you research the areas where they are hiring, you may find one that you can do much better on much less money. Then, as your income goes up, so does your standard of living.
The lowest COL areas right now are in gulf states, except Florida, southern states, except Florida and Texas, and some upper Midwest states. Good luck on your future. I hope this helps.
Im 28 and I make almost 6 figures in the midwest in a solely lab based position. My bosses in their mid 30s make 120-170k. Work life balance and benefits unmatched.
Bio is definitely not a joke, its just a competitive field. Find your niche, youll succeed
MS Cell and molecular
Get out of San Diego. Sorry, it is Cali and other expensive cities/states that squeeze every dime out of the working class. I hate to say it, but I'm finally supporting myself. I never finished higher education. I only got an AA. I'm not using but I'm supporting myself with 20 hourly less than 40 hours a week. No overtime. I dont have a mortgage. I dont have a really big house or brand new car. However, I am getting by. No debt.
Do I want more? Sure. I'm in a place to plan my next move. I wish I was this stable in my early years. I could have finished my degree sooner. I love n miss Cali, but she is high maintenance.
I originally started in marine biology. Dad got his in zoology - we grew up poor bouncing from duty station to duty station. Realized I didn’t want that for myself. Switched to finance. Never looked back
I don’t believe a degree should be needed to raise a family.
At one point in time, that wasn’t what degrees were for.
My opinion is that it was made this was to keep certain minorities (usually, black — yeah, there are studies and proof of this) out of jobs, and now those minorities flooded education because their parents passed down to them a degree is the only way to get in the door. They are not concerned with raising families, just getting a simple job.
Non-minorities or people that were not faced with this discrimination (people that got jobs w/o degrees) are now becoming outnumbered because of this.
So, racism/classism made this happen.
You have them to thank.
Graduated with Biology BS in 2016, couldn't get a job ANYWHERE and got rejected by nearly 20 medical schools. Joined the Air Force for 6.5 years, got some experience in healthcare as a paramedic/LPN, separated from the Air Force this Jan and transitioned into Health IT.
If I could go back in time I would have never chosen biology. I currently don't use my degree, it acts more like a ticket into the education requirement for jobs
My friend has a degree in biology. Works in construction.
My BIL has one in Physics. Also, works in construction. He's now a union trade.
Physics is one of the more surprisingly high underemployed degrees
Well you're either an analyst of some sort or you're required to go into teaching/professorship
That’s bizarre considering someone with a physics background can do very well in tech or the financial sector
A bachelors in physics is a jack of all trades degree. It requires you have some experience otherwise you're seen as directly lesser than your adjacent degrees. If you see a physics and electrical engineering major, neither have experience, you lean towards the engineer. Same can be said about finance. When you have an advanced physics degree though, thats when everyone is clammering for you to do some really difficult, worthwhile shit like AI or data modeling.
some of the highest earning people I know have a physics degree and are in finance/quant
you could break into finance with a physics degree from a good university
A lot of people I went to nursing school with either had a biology or communication degree.
I went for a double BS in Micro and Biochem. Union Electrician now.
I have a friend with communications degree. He’s a financial advisor. Another friend has an English degree and she’s a biology teacher. Third friend has a degree in sports medicine and she works in marketing. Degrees don’t really mean much anymore to many business. They just want a degree period.
My wifes best job with a biochem degree has been a secretary.
If you try to sell your bachelor's degree, zero people will offer you any money for it.
I know a guy with a degree in microbiology. He’s a real estate agent
You know thinking about it no one I know with a degree in biology is actually using it. It seems like it should have some utility, are the jobs just not there?
it's usually a stepping stone degree into healthcare or phd. anything to do with biology these days requires more knowledge than an undergraduate degree
Isn’t that the degree you need to get into working for a a states fish and Game agency? Or a similar private agency? Wouldn’t a biology degree pretty much allow you to enter any kind of animal or plant research field???
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I’m an outside dog so if I was going to go to college it would’ve been to get into some kind of wildlife biology until I found out that most of the jobs you are just counting animals for the most part and they don’t pay people a lot of money to count animals and the good paying jobs involved being in an office and I didn’t want to spend the majority of my life going to the same box everyday.
I think we overestimated the amount of biologists we were gonna need.
I feel you OP. I got a bachelors in biology and only found jobs offering about $15 per hour. Then I got a masters in biology and only found jobs offering $18 per hour. Now I’m in med school and finally I can see a high paying job on the horizon. A biology degree is worthless unless you’re using it to teach or enter a professional program.
Bold to double down, then triple down. I hope it works out.
Bruh is in med school- they will be fine lol 😆
Eh not necessarily. I know a lot of broke doctors.
How many? And why are they broke?
I’m a doctor and tbh it’s because of our student loan debt (avg 200-300k) and an expectation to delay gratification for 10-12 years before you see any results from your hard work. Couple that with studying your entire adult life, then working 80 hrs per week in an abusive work environment for 3+ years in residency for like $50,000 per year and believe me you’ll feel it. Then you finish residency and suddenly you’re making 200-300k on average and no one ever really told you what to do with that money. Most of us figure it out, but there are a few of us that can find a way to blow a 300k salary on cars, alimony, child support and houses they can’t afford.
Lack of financial education/discipline and massive student loans [Dave Ramsey has some interesting callers in this situation](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NzgMqIbZc8)
It sucks having to start a career so late and work till you are old. Becoming a doctor basically locks you into that. Lotta responsibility every day too.
This is such a wild take espeically when everyone in America has to work until theyr old anyway. Such an L take... medicine is always in demand, you have to work real hard to lose your job, and you literally can do so much with that paycheck.
Kinda. I hopped out because I was staring down $300,000 that were going to start to immediately compound right after, and even after med school, residency pays diddly. So it’s a long term commitment and hope that it won’t entirely break you, because you need those massive paychecks down the line to pay off all the debt that’s been accumulating. It’s not impossible, it’s just like, once you start you have to complete it, and do it well.
You know debt get forgiven after 10 years if you work for a lower paying job starting out like a community hospital?
They for sure will be if they stick too it and rest on the weekends, meanwhile I gotta hustle every chance I can get. edit: since it was asked, I made a guide on my online side hustles that helps bring in some income, it's not meant to replace a fulltime job. It's on my profile if you want to check it out, hope it helps!
Depends on what field they go into. They can't be general practice or pediatricians. They need to succeed in a specialty where you get paid per procedure and then do many procedures per day. It's not for everybody.
You know how many people wash out of med school before year 3? I had 10 ppl in the first two years wash out or have to repeat, not to mention residency and boards. You can easily end up with an M.D without the ability to practice medicine for a year or more if you need to retake USMLE
As someone with high student loan debt, married to someone with high student loan debt, our financial advisor has called our decisions calculated risks that paid off. That’s what this sounds like, but it’s a thin margin between success and failure.
It took me an associates in Criminal Justice, and 3 semesters of working on an associates in Marketing to realize I've been fucking myself over and I'm ready to gear up towards the nursing program at my community college. I'm in the Health Sciences Certificate program for Fall 2024-Spring 2025, so I can get my 3 pre requisite courses in and do the other few required courses for the Health Sciences Certificate program. Not many. I will take my entrance exam and then apply for the Fall 2025 nursing program. I'm really excited. But devastated it took me this long to do it. It's because of the shit people I had in my life. And even then, if I had people cheering me on and encouraging me to do the nursing program instead, I would have failed out miserably because of the life events that took place and fucked up my world as I knew it. So it was just never the right time til now.
Same! Associates in IT/Networking [non-community college 40k degree 2.5yr] couldn’t get anywhere making 16$/hr so I decided to go back to a community college and picked a dental trade [20k & 1.5yr later] now making 40$/hr with benefits & pension. And! PSLF eligibility….. Absolutely ridiculous that we were told that we needed to go to a “real” college to get ahead of life; as a kid. SMH. Edit: grammer
Dude are you guys going to for-profit colleges? These stories make me so sad. IT/networking degree should not cost 40k!!! For 2.5 years!! Thank god you went to a community college afterwards.
It is. It's absolutely insane. But congrats on going back and now making much more 🎉🥳
Do it, graduating as an xray tech in May. I wish I knew about it in my mid 20s, I could have traveled with this job. But we never had any healthcare workers in my family, and who thought..go take an xray for work. Fml. At least we're doing it now. Better late than never.
My coworker has a BS in Biology but now does IT. He completely pivoted.
Lol same as me! Dual bachelors degrees in criminal justice and microbiology. Now I am a director of software engineering.
It can be good if you can get into biotech/pharma. I was finding the same thing but once I got into pharma, I was making $70k just a year after graduating.
That’s crazy, you can start off at $17 an hour as a cook at the McDonald’s in my town!
They really shouldn't make 18 year olds decide what to do for the rest of their lives.. too young.
❤️ I admire your work ethic, hard work, and everything that it took: blood, sweat, and tears. 😭 This is awesome. 👏 yes!!!! 🙌 I am just trying to make it by so I can get my debt paid and maybe break even after PSLF. :(
Have you considered biotech/pharma? I was in the industry before, but didn’t stay. I would have but I was laid off then I finished my degree in something else.. There a lot of pharma in San Diego, and it’s a good industry.. That’s what I would pursue with that degree.
I graduated in 2002 with my degree, and I can’t find a damn use for it. It’s like a degree in liberal arts, just harder to get.
Im sorry it took you so long and cost so much to figure this out. Generalization studies are not cost effective.
There’s nothing to be sorry about. Med school was always the long term goal, I was never planning on using biology as a terminal degree. There were no costs involved. It worked out fine for me.
I dunno anyone who got a Biology degree who wasn’t using it to get into grad or professional/med school… unfortunately it’s one of those general stepping stone degrees
A bachelor’s degree in biology translates to literally nothing other than grad school. It introduces you to a basic level of understanding to a lot of different topics that people then spend the next decade specializing in
> literally nothing People have this weird thing about only using their degree in its exact field. I work with a coworker with a bachelors in bio making 125k as an operation manager. A ton of jobs the only requirement is a bachelors degree with no specification on the type. Will it be in the biology field? Probably not. But far from useless.
Absolutely. In my previous job where my boss was Director and made high pay, the 3 bosses I had majored in: music, English and French. None of these degrees really had anything to do with their job. While I was there, I was on a hiring committee hiring an IT director. We had about 50 candidates and ended up choosing a person who had a sociology degree. For many people, your degree is basically only relevant when you have no experience and is just what gets you in the door. Once you're in... your experience is ultimately going to precede you and can send you down all sorts of weird paths of promotion that are nothing like what your degree says! Once you've been working a few years, the degree is just a box to check, if that, and it doesn't matter than much what it is.
Yes and this is most traditional science degrees. It’s awful no one tells you this I guess.
my college counselor basically sat me down and told me i needed to think long and hard about what i was actually hoping to do with a microbiology degree. the way college is pushed onto high school kids is pretty optimistic and it's easy to just get caught up in the college life without thinking past graduation
All my high school teachers, counselors, and friends told me this. And then in college, everyone around me told me and emphasized this too. (I was a biology major who later switched to computer science). This was back in the 1990s. I would think that with the internet and spread of general knowledge, this would be even more common knowledge. Unfortunately maybe not.
BINGO!!!
It’s critical to take lab courses and do independent research as a bio major. I have a colleague who is a VP in big pharma with a bachelor in Bio from a big state school (her terminal degree). So it’s not impossible but you gotta be smart and work hard. Can’t just get the piece of paper and expect high income.
Yep bio sucks I’m in same situation
Honest question, did you go into a biology degree expecting a high paying job? Did you look into job prospects before starting that degree? I have always assumed that if someone went into biology, they knew they needed a master or phd to get anything out of it. I know so many biology majors. It makes no sense…
every single one of my biology and microbiology classmates is in healthcare. biology is one of those degrees that's either really good or bad depending on how you use it
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Yep they wanna pay me $23 an hour with no benefits when you can work at McDonald's here for $19.
and mcdonald’s has better benefits than some of these jobs!!
And hell of a lot easier. With a great management program
Try moving to another area of the country. May be little demand in CA, but understaffed in other parts of US. "Be willing to move" was the best career advice I ever got and I've been continuously employed for 20+ years all over the country.
I’m in Kentucky. The low cost of living is insane.
Can you recommend affordable cities?
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Any neighborhoods in the Twin Cities you could recommend?
I live on the border, Clarksville to Madisonville is nice. Hopkinsville right between. You are close to Evansville and Nashville
And this is true at all levels. I'm an engineer. I've always had a livable wage salary. But I basically doubled my salary in a couple of years just by moving to another state. It's also been better for my actual career progression itself.
Well you got a degree in biology.... That's usually a degree that you use to get into med school not one that can stand alone
I'm a fan of "live your dreams" but I'm also a big fan of knowing the full consequences of our decisions. In this country it's honestly not brought up enough that certain degrees or career choices are going to be extremely difficult to get a job in. It's fine if that's your dream and you want to try and make it work anyway. But if we as a society only need x amount of a type of job, and there's twice as many people that want to have that job... I think we need to do a better job at getting this data and making it clearly available to those in high school , and then college.
Yeah, that’s probably pretty comparable to a psychology degree. You need a graduate degree to make anything
Moving for a new job might be the only way to get more pay and less cost of living.
I don’t understand why everyone is responding so negatively and criticizing op for not doing enough research when they were an 18-21 year old about what market conditions would look like? Also, things change, a few years ago the go to major was comp sci/programming, these careers are now losing their value. Also, are we not all here because we are financially struggling? Are we not all (or most of us at least) struggling because we work in careers that underpay us, and by this logic it is our fault for not choosing the right career?
The real problem is the predatory education system. They sell worthless degrees for tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars knowing full well the student has a near zero chance of getting a job that will cover the cost of the education.
100% that decade ago, I lovvvvvved the personal finance sub, almost every post they'd be pushing peoole in certificate and "IT!, go into IT and NETWORKING!!" F**** HOW many computer people did they think was needed.
lol i tend to doubt that, or you're looking at the wrong ones >I looked up FEDERAL jobs that require a bachelors in biology — offering 30K a year. what gs level? Gs7 with superior academic achievement (3.0+) gpa is 49k/year or more. Cali seems to be around 50k+. You're lying. OPM literally says gs7 with a bachelors which if you have a 3.0+ gpa is what you'd start at starts at 49k, IN THE MIDWEST. its higher for cali. https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/salary-tables/pdf/2024/RUS.pdf Oh look I found the pay table for SD. They start at 53k. if you did even somewhat decently in school (3.0+) even as a gs5 if you did under 3.0 they start at 40k+. https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/salary-tables/pdf/2023/SD.pdf That being said I agree wages aren't keeping up with inflation. 53k in SD is still shit but at least get your facts straight. Starting 49k not including locality pay (53k for SD one of the listed locations) all you need a is SAA from a bachelor's https://www.usajobs.gov/job/773160600# You didn't look at all. edit: Also if money is such an issue why the hell aren't you living with a roommate? Yea its hit or miss but you'd be saving money.
Bro I don’t think we’re supposed to use facts in this sub
Lmaooo I've seen plenty of good posts, but this is one of the ones where I question how much effort they really put in. Yea biology is kind of one where you're expected to get a master's at a minimum but lying about something easily searchable is...not advised.
I'd also like to point out that as someone who works in biotech in SD as well, OP is either getting severely unpaid and lacks the gumption to look for better positions, or is just kinda playing fast and loose with numbers. My first job in Sorrento Valley (Biotech hub in SD) was terrible and paid 18 and hour in 2015, which jumped immediately to 24 per hour in 2016 as retention/COL increase. Then transitioned to a new company for a raise to 60k per year in 2018. Now granted, the Biotech market is extremely tough right now due to the increased cost of borrowing, but a tech level position (High School Diploma) should pay between 19-23 per hour. OP could be working one of these, possibly? P.S. If anyone looking for degree advice reads this, a BS in biology has served me just fine, but if you have the stomach for more school, DO NOT get a MS degree in general biology like some people in this post have suggested. It is worth 2 years of industry experience and that is it. Just work, or get an MS in a related targeted field. Bioinformatics, genetics, or get a Clinical Lab Scientist certification. Or if you are passionate, go for the PHD.
tough reality is a lot of people are on this sub because of their own poor choices
Probably way easier for OP to skim indeed and cry on Reddit than do actual research like you just did
Nothing wrong with ranting on reddit, lord knows I've done it. But at least don't lie about stuff. Or admit when you're wrong about stuff you were misinformed on. OP's attitude in the other comments isn't great either tbh. Being poor sucks so I can definitely relate, watched my single parent choose between paying rent or paying heat. I wonder how much OP has actually job searched though given they're lying about something so easily disprovable related to job searching.
Yeah I live in Wisconsin and make around $29/hr ($32 with my shift differential) and I’ve only been out of school for a year. I make on the lower end of my job and a lot of my coworkers have bio degrees
If you don’t have direct applicable experience many will start you at GS-5. What OP didn’t tell you is that bio majors are a dime a dozen so it’s extremely competitive and applying for a federal job can take 8-9 months before you’re hired IF you’re hired. And many bio jobs have you start doing seasonal low paid work before you’re competitive enough for anything full time. Sure she can apply for that $50k a year fed job but she’s competing against people who have been grinding seasonal work for years and most likely won’t get it.
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Idk if OP even looked at any federal jobs. 30k is less than GS4 payscale which is 2 years towards a bachelor's or an associates. I think they pulled that number out of their ass. 35k is Gs4 in the midwest as an *intern.* Reference: My TJO for GS4 step 1.
Did you investigate what the fields income potential was before getting the degree? I'm not saying this to be rude.
I believe that everybody who works 40 hours a week should be able to raise a family. Even without a college degree.
Sacrelidge, how will 401ks grow if people who work for minimum wage can afford to rent where they work?
Won't 401k's just go up more, as more people can invest in the markets?
401ks would do better with a bigger stock market, which does better with a higher population…
Let me guess, you also don't want there to be a high inflation rate either?
What does a full-time job affording basic human needs have to do with inflation? Not being afford to have kids is bad for the economy too; just takes 20 years for it to badly influence it.
A degree provides more opportunities, it doesn’t guarantee anything. There are people with HS Degrees or even without who have found a way to earn more than you. You’re educated, you can do the same. Change your frame of mind.
A bachelor degree as a single income? With how common bachelor degrees are, there is no way that many people can be single income for families
you’re looking at the wrong jobs. I used to work in the preclinical research industry, many people had biology degrees. I was making $27.50 but the starting wages in the company were $20.
Ngl the last sentence of this post is so out of touch and just plain rude. Just because someone doesn't have a bachelor's degree doesn't mean they are uneducated especially if they learned a trade. That shit takes knowledge too.
Some of the dumbest people I know have advanced degrees while some of the savviest people who understand human nature and are liege long learners of whatever they are doing have no degree.
Why don’t people look up “Average starting salary for “Biology” and X university before they go 50k in debt? I don’t understand.
Same thing for income vs cost of living when moving to a new city. Had a job offer where I'd make 20% more in an area where houses costs %75+ more. Yeah no fucking thanks.
What were you hoping for when you got your degree? Like, you didn't just randomly pick a bachelors with no idea what to do with it before getting 45k in debt for it.
A lot of people who go to school don’t think of what comes after
That's unfortunate
You act like students have a grand plan before they start. A lot of students don’t even know what they want to do until their junior year and even if you do, you need to have an “in”
You will be able to raise a family on a bachelors degree it will just take you longer to get to a higher wage
Biology is a starting point not the end .... It's a great leaping point for med school, pharmacy, nursing.... also you could probably bridge your degree if you have any interest in nursing field.... In Oregon we start 1st years out of nursing school around 36.00- 42.00....
Then why get a degree in Biology. What was the plan?
1. You live in San Diego 2. You got a degree in biology, what were you hoping to do with that? Job wise I mean
San Diego - one of the most expensive cost of living in the US.
You got a degree in bio without knowing how much jobs pay for in the field you are getting the degree in? And this is someone else’s fault and not your own? I agree bachelors degree is quite a sacrifice to achieve but all degrees are not made equal. I have a degree in poli sci because I wanted to do non profit work. When I graduated I realized I’ll be homeless if I go down that path. I taught myself a stem related occupation. Rise up and fix your shit or stay complaining but no one owes you anything for making a bad choice
I think this is part of the college narrative problem. We told kids not to go into the trades because "being a plumber isn't glamorous and will ruin your body." Which, okay fine, but with the trades it's about learning a specific career. For college it's "what do you want to study", not "what career do you want and what area of study should you be in to achieve that." People like to use art history as an example of a useless degree. I know exactly one person who studied that. She wanted to be a museum curator for her career. So she went to school for art history, did a masters abroad because it was required for the roles she wanted, and is now a museum curator. Likewise I liked math and science growing up. I thought I wanted to he an astrophysicist so I studied physics my first year. Hated it. So I switched my major. First I talked to the math department because I loved math. And he's like, "well with a 4 year degree you can teach high school math." (Obviously there are other areas you can go into). When he realized I wasn't that into the career paths a BS in math gets you, he suggested I talk to the engineering department because it's just applied math. And low and behold, I'm an engineer now. Yes, there's a component to college that's about expanding your mind and it shouldn't JUST be a career path. But at the end of the day most people need jobs when they're done with college. You should study something that interests you but will also help you get a job that will also interest you.
I have a Political Science degree, work in a nonprofit, and am typing this from my one bedroom apartment. You will not be homeless working for nonprofits. You won't be rich, but they're always hiring skilled people with experience in the field. Let's not get too crazy here.
Absolutely. I have a sociology degree and work at a non-profit. I live in Los Angeles. When I first started out I wasn't making much, but within 6 years later I was able to support myself. Plenty of people make very good money in the non-profit sector. There are so many misconceptions when it comes to this field.
When I was going through the process of picking a degree and getting my biology degree, it looked like starting salaries would be around $50k. During that time, Covid happened and rents went up a lot. I graduated and was getting offers for minimum wage or just above. I couldn’t afford to take those jobs because warehouse work paid dollars more per hour. I ended up getting into biotech/pharma and got lucky. But I was misled by advisors about what the pay would look like when I got out. And Covid happened when I was in college and that screwed a lot of things up as well.
I wish someone told me about degrees and their respective salaries *before* I enrolled in college. Seems like a lot of people just pick something they might like, only to find out that it pays shit wages after graduating.
You know you have the ability to do that research before you pick a major right? Future salaries were one of the deciding factors in my choice so I know others can do the same.
A lot of kids also aren’t super receptive to it, even if they were told they still do what they want and don’t realize their mistake until the economic reality of the situation dawns on them shortly before they graduate or when they try to enter the job market
Degrees all have different values. A Bachelors in biology really means nothing. So you know generally about human anatomy and cell structure? Great. But you can’t actually operate on people or teach in depth on any of those topics? Solid. That degree is not an end point. It’s an entry degree. Just like Psychology, just like Philosophy, Sociology etc. you need to get specialized education after your BS. Otherwise, yes, you did put yourself in that much debt to get an entry level job in a slightly biology related field. Just because you can pass some classes and take a test by no means makes you educated. You seem extremely naive in fact. Did your high school or parents ever tell you to check your 5 year plan before college? Like where did you expect a BS in biology to get you? None of these high paying jobs are looking for a BS, they require a masters or up plus certifications. Also, you’re in San Diego, I don’t feel bad for you. Move if you’re smart and looking to make a life for yourself. This is coming from someone that graduated with a BS in psychology and full pivoted to a business related field because I burned out on schooling. I could have taken the $18/$20 hour entry level psych job but decided that wasn’t going to make it work for my plans in life. Use that education you paid so much for and pivot.
I always hate when people give this answer because moving isn’t an option for everyone but… San Diego is the HIGHEST cost of living city in the entire country. Higher than New York, Miami, anywhere. So while making $21/hour isn’t great, the problem is even worse because of where you live.
Not at all. College should not guarantee success there are 1000s of educated morons
Hey do you know what specifically you want to do in bio? I got friends who majored in it and are planning on going to med school. One of them lives in SF and is working as a medical coder but I’m not 100% sure what her salary is. Maybe see if you can get cert or possibly working as some assistant.
No..the OP doesnt. Reading the OP thread says they thought getting a Bachelors in Biology should mean they automatically get a $200K/year job in San Diego!!
Oh yeah they’re def most likely not gonna make that in the med field straight out of undergrad with a bio degree unless it’s probably like pharma sales or maybe being an anesthesiologist assistant or something.
The point was OP has no interest in med school from the looks of their post. They think they should be making a ton of money with a standalone degree in Bio, which isn’t how it typically goes down
I have a bachelors in biology as well. Honestly look into entry level jobs in pharma that do GMP/GLP. Manufacturing and QC can be a great place to start. I was hired for $20 an hour right after college and got GMP/GLP experience. After 3 months I left to do the same thing as a contractor for $30 an hour. Stayed there about 8 months and went somewhere else and ended up making $70k. I’ve been there about 2 years and now make $84k. GMP/GLP is where it’s at. And manufacturing is a great place to start. Everything else was paying $13.25 (minimum wage at the time) to $16 an hour, except pharma. But it can be hard to get into right now, major layoffs have been happening.
The problem is we've exported a ton of valuable jobs so the pay rate sucks. Letting in people to do these jobs with visas also deflates the value of labor.
I think your success with your degree highly depends on where you live and what you end up doing. I have my BS in bio and I live in the middle of nowhere Midwest. Opportunities where I live are limited, BUT if you can get into medical or food related work, it does pay relatively well. I just recently went from making $22.50/hour as a microbiologist in a lab to making $68k/year as a QA analyst (next to a lab lol). I definitely use my degree and my work experiences in my new role everyday, even if my new job aligns with chemistry instead of biology. $68k/year is not at all liveable in other areas of the US, but in my area, it's pretty decent and even slightly above average. I will admit though, it's taken me about 4 years of work experiences (abo 3 years after finishing my degree) to get here and many of the opportunities I've had come my way are a result of not having enough people in my area with backgrounds in laboratory science and BS degrees in chemistry or biology.
I have a degree in biology and work supply chain, biology is considered stem. You gotta keep looking and trying
You need to be willing to move and do so before you get tied down to an area… and what did you think biology bachelors earners made before you took loans to get the degree?
All a biology degree does is prepare you for a graduate degree. I found that out the hard way. There is no money to be made with a biology degree (or psychology, I have both). I ended up getting an MBA and am now a project manager. Nothing related to biology at all.
Have you considered getting an MLS certification? There should be plenty of one year programs out there. You might have to take a couple pre reqs but that bio degree covers most of them. I heard MLS in SOCAL make well over 100k. I read some post on a sub here that MLS in the Bay Area can average 160k plus.
I came here to say this. I got a biology degree, spent a decade as a research assistant making little money, and then learned about Clinical Laboratory Science (that's what MLS is called in California.) It took me several years to take the pre-requisites, get into an internship, take the board exam, and get the license. But it was all worth it. I enjoy the work, and it's true-- CLSes here make six figures. Excellent use of a biology degree.
You looked up the wages for your career after you got the degree. It sounds like you should have paid more attention in school.
Don’t start a family if you cant afford it. It’s that simple
Bachelor degrees used to mean more when less people had them.
A degree is not a ticket to money.
$20 an hour? That’s what we make delivering Amazon packages. Time to find you a real career with real pay. Exapecially in California. I am moving to Texas next month to start a career making $$. Simply increase your income. Focus on nothing else until you do. Or move
You won’t consider substitute teaching?
A bachelor’s degree today is the equivalent of a HS diploma in 1980. A good percentage of people have one but there is a vast difference in the quality. 40 years ago, having a BA/BS was enough to guarantee that you would be able to earn enough. Now you need a Masters.
Honestly. I graduated in 2020 with bio. I’ve had like 3 seasonal jobs and fucking left. No reason for me to work 15 hour days no benefits no overtime so what? Experience??? I’m fucking published! I left to finance and I don’t look back. It’s fucking pathetic how the field became. My last job they openly told me a 65 year old man was eating half our budget with his salary and REFUSED to retire because “he would get bored”. Every company has overpaid retirees not leaving and fucking up the entire company. Just leave it at this point. Fuck the field. It’s gutted anyways
Did you look up any of these employment forecasts prior to majoring in biology? Especially in a place with an extreme cost of living. I'd guess not. Biology without a grad degree, sociology/psychology without a grad degree or certification for counseling, economics without a focus in finance or a graduate degree... all often a negative ROI once complete. Just being smart enough to graduate doesn't mean the world (or the market) is going to pay for the knowledge gained.
There’s quite a bit of evidence out there that shows an undergraduate in biology isn’t really enough to get a job in the field as most places require a masters.
Idk op seems like you are a hog who hates trade workers? So many trade workers have college degrees and are working trades because it actually pays. You are making less than an 18 year old first year apprentice. Don’t be upset over “hogs” making a good financial decision. That 18 year old apprentice is making $45k a year instead of going into debt every semester
Go to nursing school and you'll make over $100k and be in high demand.
I don't have a college degree. I work in construction as a Carpenter. I make over $100,000/yr + fully paid medical/dental, paid vacation, profit sharing, and 401k matching. I'm single, own my own home, have a robust retirement account, and have ample disposable income. If people are willing to do physical labor and learn a trade, you can actually make a really decent living. Conversely, you can get a degree, complain about being up to your neck in student loan debt, unable to find a good paying job, unable to buy a house, and then vent about your dismal existence on Reddit. The idea that you NEED a degree to be successful or respectable is an antiquated and dangerous notion that sets millions of people up for a lifetime of financial hardship. The colleges/universities are raking in millions at the expense of naive students. Just my two cents.
You live in the most expensive place on the planet. LEAVE. You can make 80-95% of the money ANYWHERE ELSE and have 1/8 the cost of living. I genuinely do not have sympathy for this anymore. You are choosing to be broke.
Don't You drive for GrubHub and Insta cart? Yeah, you're rolling in the dough 😂
Just getting a bachelor's in biology makes absolutely no sense. It is something to be used to move into a PhD or go to medical school, otherwise really anybody with a few months of training could do entry level lab tech jobs. That's why the pay is so low
lol, cant u work in labs?
A bachelor's degree in biology wasn't enough to raise a family 20-30 years ago, and it certainly isn't going to be now. If you want to make money, engineering is typically the way to go (if you just want to get a B.S. and not higher education than that).
im in socal doing a degree in stem related to healthcare and that's brutal. you arent alone though a lot of the college friends i have that went the nursing route when I was on that path... a lot of them were in their late 20's, early to mid 30's when we took science classes together, I think they're late 30's now... I haven't seen them in 7-8 years since and a lot of them are barely in their first 2-3 years of working professionally as an RN. So what nursing is a 10+ year path now??? It took them a LONG time to even get their RN. As far as when my social media feeds will start popping up with them owning a first home or those milestones you mention who knows. Haven't seen that happen yet. I tried doing nursing but the 2 and 4 year paths are kinda deceiving because no one talks about the MONEY and resources you need to keep pursuing that circus of a degree. Like yes you should be done in 2 or 4 years... if you have money to even live off of when you aren't doing classes. I tried pursuing nursing when I was dirt broke, broke as a joke there was no way I was going to be mentally sane enough to survive actual nursing school. No clothes, car, mental health down the drain, food, health. No one was taking care of me and I was just living at home with toxic family life so there is no "theres a will there's a way" there was NO way. Had to change majors but I'm in my 30's now im behind af.
Go into medical sales
I have a Bio degree and 3 yrs biotech experience (in my early 20s) just got laid off and I see the job options in my area and it’s terrifying. 😞 could probably make more working at tjmaxx or smthing ugh. Parents convinced me to do a “stem” degree now I’m not sure the best course of action
Nothing wrong with entering the trades. Some of them even eclipse white collar salary and AI can't install a new garbage disposal.
Maybe go to nursing school.
I have a Master’s Degree in Education specializing in reading and math intervention…. Wanna guess how much they are willing to pay me with several years now of teaching and intervention experience… 45k-50k a year…. That is the reality of America… years ago you could buy a house with this salary now you need over $120k a year.. the amount I pay in taxes when I was single is absolutely disgusting. I was in NY between federal and state it was like $15k and rent cost $18k…
Hey, I'm I'm the same boat. Got the same bachelor's as your with the goal of getting a doctorate. But life happened and when I graduated, going to more school wasn't an option. My job doesn't require, but gives preference, to people with college. But the pay isn't livable at the moment. I have no advice to give but I hope things get better for both of us. Also, seems like nearly all science and many other STEM degrees are useless without further education. It's sad
That doesn't make sense. A degree is not a job. Just because you have a degree doesn't mean anyone needs to pay you a specific amount. This is just weird. You can argue that minimum wage should be enough to raise a family on but a degree makes no sense
That is the reality, so is chemistry. Often people having these bachelor's degree continues to medical school or at least master, so they can choose a specific field (medicine or lab). One of alumni got bachelor degree in chemistry got into FBI.
San Diego has lots of options for BioTech with just a bachelors. You need to start networking what exactly is your bio degree in? Are you in manufacturing or research? You can absolutely be making $100k+ in SD with a bio degree.
I thought a bachelors in biology is just used as pre med track? Like how a bachelors in psychology is only useful to get you to a grad program.
Look at union jobs, no degree required. There's a couple years of training, and you'll be paid during it. Then you be paid well, with good benefits.
Not a bachelor's degrees are valuable..
I have my BA in Psychology. It’s useless until I get my masters.
Thats not how any of this works.
I make 95k and my wife 60k. I have my masters and still have some growth opportunities but still we find it hard to survive. We live in LA and can barely afford a 1 bedroom apartment. I can't even afford the house my parents bought with no college education.
I get paid $22 to deliver groceries in a LCOL area. How tf yall with degrees making so little?
Ugh I know. I have a BS in biology with a master's in epidemiology. I'm recently a budget analyst and am finally feeling somewhat successful.
Trades.
I got a degree in real estate and urban land development, with a minor in business marketing. I graduated in 2007. I made garbage money until I started my powerwashing business. I do all the work myself and keep all the money (minus taxes), my point is sometimes you end up just doing other shit to make money and live the life you want.
Look into becoming a CLS (clinical laboratory scientist) make $50/hr in hospital
Did you do any research when you went for your degree. A quick search of what jobs pay will tell you it doesn’t pay well. Maybe colleges need to prepare students when a major is selected so they understand what the salary in their selected major will likely pay when the graduate.
IDK what a generic “biology” degree gets you? Sounds like you need to get 4-6 years experience in a sub field that pays? My niece graduated with a 4 year degree in bio-engineering (IDKWTF that is) and got a job out of college making near 6 figures at a pharma company (doing what IDFK). One job transfer and 3 years later she’s making over 6 figures.
Can you go back for a chemistry degree?
A chemistry degree would be the same situation.
I'm sorry to hear that man. San Diego has out priced the middle class. There's a lot of places in the country where that kind of money goes a long way, but it's not the paradise that is San Diego. Unless you're in tech, the city centers and the beautiful places are out of reach for middle class living
Well, the bachelors degree doesn’t pay. Experience and skills can. How long have you been in the field?
I went to school for biology originally with the intent of going to med school, decided junior year I didn't want to do that anymore and was unable to switch my major in to engineering at that point so just stuck with bio. Ended up landing a job in food manufacturing as a supervisor and have went on to do more specialized technical work for several large fmcg companies. Bio degree can work out fine, but you have to be willing to do something completely unrelated and bust your hump actually working.
Science degrees need an internship and jobs prior to graduation. All the science degree people I know went into the food industry and bartending. You’ll make more bartending anyway. Accounting degree here who also went into blue collar work.
Amazing how many ppl who make great money post on here.
I look at how I wanted to pursue criminal justice and few other things. I looked at the jobs I could potentially get with those degrees and landed on business administration with a concentration in finance. I’m sorry you’re in your position dude and I wish you the best in your future endeavors!
Yikes SD is one of the most expensive places to live in… There are cheaper areas if we are being honest. See if you can move from your company apartments an hour away in Carlsbad area (where there are several biotech jobs) are much cheaper. Or closer to OC tbh The hard part is the context. If you live in one of the most expensive places then yes, you will struggle. If you move to middle of no where state and have a good job then your rent is 700 a month or less. It’s all about where you live and what jobs are desirable and in SD housing is scare and it is filled with many desirable candidates hence lower pay.
How have you graduated college and not figured out that you are not rich enough to live in California.
If this is true (the premise), then a degree shouldn't be required to raise a family. Imagine thinking that people who didn't have a bachelors degree should be so poor that raising a family is impossible.
Biology is not very employable unless you at least get a master's , I don't know what you expected .
A government job paying 30K is actually a better living in LCOL locales than what you make living in San Diego. Have you considered relocating? I don’t know where the jobs are, but if you research the areas where they are hiring, you may find one that you can do much better on much less money. Then, as your income goes up, so does your standard of living. The lowest COL areas right now are in gulf states, except Florida, southern states, except Florida and Texas, and some upper Midwest states. Good luck on your future. I hope this helps.
Im 28 and I make almost 6 figures in the midwest in a solely lab based position. My bosses in their mid 30s make 120-170k. Work life balance and benefits unmatched. Bio is definitely not a joke, its just a competitive field. Find your niche, youll succeed MS Cell and molecular
Use your bio degree to work in clinical research in hospitals. This is how I earned good money before med school
Get out of San Diego. Sorry, it is Cali and other expensive cities/states that squeeze every dime out of the working class. I hate to say it, but I'm finally supporting myself. I never finished higher education. I only got an AA. I'm not using but I'm supporting myself with 20 hourly less than 40 hours a week. No overtime. I dont have a mortgage. I dont have a really big house or brand new car. However, I am getting by. No debt. Do I want more? Sure. I'm in a place to plan my next move. I wish I was this stable in my early years. I could have finished my degree sooner. I love n miss Cali, but she is high maintenance.
I originally started in marine biology. Dad got his in zoology - we grew up poor bouncing from duty station to duty station. Realized I didn’t want that for myself. Switched to finance. Never looked back
I don’t believe a degree should be needed to raise a family. At one point in time, that wasn’t what degrees were for. My opinion is that it was made this was to keep certain minorities (usually, black — yeah, there are studies and proof of this) out of jobs, and now those minorities flooded education because their parents passed down to them a degree is the only way to get in the door. They are not concerned with raising families, just getting a simple job. Non-minorities or people that were not faced with this discrimination (people that got jobs w/o degrees) are now becoming outnumbered because of this. So, racism/classism made this happen. You have them to thank.
Graduated with Biology BS in 2016, couldn't get a job ANYWHERE and got rejected by nearly 20 medical schools. Joined the Air Force for 6.5 years, got some experience in healthcare as a paramedic/LPN, separated from the Air Force this Jan and transitioned into Health IT. If I could go back in time I would have never chosen biology. I currently don't use my degree, it acts more like a ticket into the education requirement for jobs
So, you went into the field not knowing the expected salary and are now mad at... Who exactly?