samcaldwell

Long story short, I have my mind set on three directions right now:

Financial economics major, chemistry, and chemical engineering

I'm starting college this fall and I'll be taking calc 1, chemistry, economics, and humanities. So I don't have to choose right now I know.

But the financial economics had me interested because the theory of economics seems intriguing + I could get an MBA or JD (only from top top schools) and make a really good amount of money.

I work at a branch of Dow chemical right now. I'll be leavin soon, but I'll have worked here for a year. The reason I got my co op here to begin with was because I really enjoyed ap Chem. besides ap calc, only class I enjoyed in high school.

But I know what BS chemistry majors do, they're lab techs working shifts. I work with them everyday. Not what I want to do at all.

But if I were to get a phd, I would love to research in industry. My goal would be to intern here over undergrad, continue to do work over grad, and eventually work at Dow chemical (because I've heard that's where the money's at. And opportunity)

But here's the thing... Money isn't THAT important to me, but it is in a way. I wouldn't want to do a phd and then come out making less than... 70k. And I would want to be able to make 100k+ eventually for sure.

Is this plausible with a company like Dow? I've been trying to look a few things up but haven't gotten anywhere. I've read science in general in America is kind of in the trash. But it's what I really see as a possible passion.

sschoe2

In Short NO!

I was strongly encouraged to get my chemistry/biochemistry PhD and initially when I started grad school I intended to. I made that decision on the basis of 2 main points.
1. The program is 4-5 years
2. It would enhance my salary and job prospects.

Once it became clear that both were lies I opted for the MS.

The average for completing a PhD is now 7 years and everyone from my lab who did are stuck in post-docs 5 years later with no prospects of ever having a real job. They will end up doing a career change around age 40 and having to deal with the PhD = overqualified for everything stigma attached to them for the rest of their life.

Science in this country has degenerated into a sick joke and a trap that exploits and abuses the brightest but naive. The grad student program has become a pyramid scheme and as a source for cheap scientific labor for Universities to do research and teach undergrad science. Many PI's don't even give any sort of mentorship and completion rates can be as low as 1/3 though 1/2 is average. The PI at the lab where I worked not only did not mentor anyone he kept his most productive students from graduating. One of my colleagues has to get the provost involved. There is no accountability in PhD programs for providing a quality educational experience rather than simple exploitation. It is nothing more than a serfdom.

Any student that manages to get through the above gauntlet has little to look forward to but endless crappy post-docs and falling further behind in life.

Things are not much better on the industry side of things as the huge excess of scientific talent, the h1b program, and outsourcing allow companies to abuse their science staff like no other group of workers. Most positions pay at little as 50 percent what they should, are extremely unstable, many are permatemp and have no benefits.

In short, pursuing a career in science is an act of madness. Our society does not value science at all anymore. Go into Finance/Economics and never look back. Let third world slaves do the science.

CalDud

Money is important these days. Go where the money is unless you find at the end of your undergrad career that you would dedicate your life to science and not give a lick about money.

I want to go into a Math PhD, but I got kids to think about that are going to enter the world before I hit 30 and I don't want to still be repaying my college loans 20 years out.

ucbalumnus

Two of them have significantly better job and career prospects than the other.

MrsCharisma

I signed up for the site just to tell you: DON'T do it! The Chem degree that is. I am in the process of getting an MBA just so that I can actually have job prospects.

I know PhD's who have resorted to eliminating their PhD from their resume to get beyond the overqualified brouhaha. I know others who are in endless post-doc hell.

Chemistry PhD = Oversaturation in the market = Little to no realistic job prospects = depression and despair.