Majoring in Biology = Low-paying?

mikemac
Mon, 15 Nov 2004 16:04:51 +0000

this is a more involved discussion than can be answered in a few brief paragraphs, so I’m glossing over a lot here. With any major (including biology) the career path you choose determines your salary much more than the degree. An engineer who decides to go into HS teaching won’t make much; an english major who becomes a lawyer can do quite well.

As has been pointed out, in the straight science field you need a PhD or MD to make a big salary. But there are other paths for bio majors, lots of them. You could work your way into mgmt, for example, and managers can earn quite well. You could go into sales, another high-paying (but challenging) field. And so on. The point is that if you figure a bio degree is just for working in a lab somewhere you are limiting your horizons.