<p>A lot of the bashing is done by a couple of malcontents who for reasons that have nothing to do with their major have not been happy with their job prospects. Read their posts and ask yourself if you would hire that person to work at your company. For me the answer is no, regardless of how well they know their science. If someone can be talked out of a science major by reading those posts, then that person really shouldn’t be majoring in science.</p>
<p>It’s true that the job market is not good right now in bio or chem, even for PhD’s, but I’ve known a dozen chemistry grad students who got their PhD’s in the past three years and all but one has a job. That one recently moved to Minnesota for personal reasons, and has a university interview this week. The latest graduate is landing in Houston this summer with a six-figure salary. They get these jobs by 1) being good at what they do; and 2) having a professional attitude.</p>
<p>My advice would be to follow your interests, and network all along the way. Your job prospects will depend a lot on who you know and who knows you. In my first job out of grad school, I went to a company where two of my former students from when I was a grad student lab TA worked. One of them actually helped me get hired there, and they both made the transition easier. These days I do contract work. For the past five years or so, all of my work has come from referrals from previous clients. If good people want to work with you, you’ll find satisfying work. If they don’t, you probably won’t, no matter what you major in.</p>