Any Biologists/Chemists here? (That means you Doctors/dentists/pharmacists)

sofaking9000 · Mar 15, 2011

I'm trying to decide what I wanna do. I wanna hear people's real life experiences, what are the work hours like, what will Obamacare do to your pay, are you in private practice, how long did it take you get to where you are, if you could repeat your education...what would you do, any things you wanna warn a newbie about?

lee_44106 · Mar 15, 2011

Big Law is where it's at, ........noobie

mm84321 · Mar 15, 2011

PM Gibonius

sofaking9000 · Mar 15, 2011

Originally Posted by lee_44106

Big Law is where it's at, ........noobie

right...spend 8 years, earn the most debt compared to med/business students and then if you didn't graduate from a top 10 school, you end up in some ****** temp job making 30-40K with hours upon hours, yea man Big Law is awesome

ramuman · Mar 15, 2011

Originally Posted by sofaking9000

right...spend 8 years, earn the most debt compared to med/business students and then if you didn't graduate from a top 10 school, you end up in some ****** temp job making 30-40K with hours upon hours, yea man Big Law is awesome

http://www.baka-raptor.com/Appreciation/sarcasm_detector.jpg

sofaking9000 · Mar 15, 2011

Originally Posted by ramuman

http://www.baka-raptor.com/Appreciation/sarcasm_detector.jpg

Gibonius · Mar 15, 2011

Originally Posted by mm84321

PM Gibonius

Ask and ye shall receive!

I'm actually a chemist though, I don't work in medicine, which seems to be what the OP is asking about.

I've had people ask me why I didn't go into medicine. There's a certain appeal to it, but I'm glad I went the way I did. Chem is fun, lots of options, lots of cool toys and interesting problems to solve. Pay is decent/good, job security is relatively high by the American standard. I have no debt and money in the bank before I turn 30, something most medical doctors can't say.

FLMountainMan · Mar 15, 2011

Worked as a biologist for a year (studied migratory habits of paddlefish) and then went back for a business degree. The bad thing about biology (actually like many fields), the more you advance, the less fun stuff you get to do.

Another friend who studied molecular bio wound up at Genzyme, scrutinizing fetuses for evidence of birth defects.

sofaking9000 · Mar 15, 2011

Originally Posted by FLMountainMan

Worked as a biologist for a year (studied migratory habits of paddlefish) and then went back for a business degree. The bad thing about biology (actually like many fields), the more you advance, the less fun stuff you get to do.

Another friend who studied molecular bio wound up at Genzyme, scrutinizing fetuses for evidence of birth defects.

Oh man that must have been a bummer, all that time and money down the drain

I can't imagine how boring that must have been and holy **** those fish are scary. Look like sharks with gigantic spades on their noses. I saw Deep Blue Sea when I was a kid...our bathroom was blue it had to be repainted/retiled white

Contingency Plan · Mar 16, 2011

All my pharm and med friends really enjoy their work overall. The meds are paid more, but generally work more hours.

DesertSolitaire · Mar 16, 2011

OP, maybe reconsider your career choice. I work with cardiologists on a daily basis, there are benefits to the long hours, but it requires a high level of intelligence and great commitment to be a successful doctor.

HgaleK · Mar 16, 2011

Originally Posted by Gibonius

Ask and ye shall receive!

I'm actually a chemist though, I don't work in medicine, which seems to be what the OP is asking about.

I've had people ask me why I didn't go into medicine. There's a certain appeal to it, but I'm glad I went the way I did. Chem is fun, lots of options, lots of cool toys and interesting problems to solve. Pay is decent/good, job security is relatively high by the American standard. I have no debt and money in the bank before I turn 30, something most medical doctors can't say.

What degrees did you end up with to land the job you have?

deadly7 · Mar 16, 2011

Originally Posted by HgaleK

What degrees did you end up with to land the job you have?

Pretty sure GIb's mentioned elsewhere he has a PhD in synthetic chemistry, but I don't remember which field specifically (organic, inorganic, catalyst, etc. etc.). I may be wrong though.

FLMountainMan · Mar 16, 2011

Originally Posted by sofaking9000

Oh man that must have been a bummer, all that time and money down the drain

I can't imagine how boring that must have been and holy **** those fish are scary. Look like sharks with gigantic spades on their noses. I saw Deep Blue Sea when I was a kid...our bathroom was blue it had to be repainted/retiled white

Dude, it was the best job I'll ever have in my life. I drifted a boat down the Yellowstone River, getting a great tan and watching elk and **** swim across the river. And those fish are damn tasty. Like an oily freshwater shark.

watchcollector2454 · Mar 16, 2011

Originally Posted by sofaking9000

I'm trying to decide what I wanna do. I wanna hear people's real life experiences, what are the work hours like, what will Obamacare do to your pay, are you in private practice, how long did it take you get to where you are, if you could repeat your education...what would you do, any things you wanna warn a newbie about?

life sciences as an undergrad, a couple years of research, then a phd in molecular bio and then a medical degree. academic clinician is the end goal. it really depends on what you want. i value my independence so being able to maintain at least a part time position in academia is ideal for me. i don't mind the long hours/****** pay as long as i enjoy what i am doing and feel like i am having an impact. you're still young and have a shitload of options. take classes and get involved with various things and start figuring out what you like and don't like and make your decision based on that.

Any Biologists/Chemists here? (That means you Doctors/dentists/pharmacists)

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