Originally Posted by lovekblue

Is there anywhere I can check out the average earning for each type of jobs??
How much can you earn if you choose honours biology and do well in this program GIVEN THAT I ENJOY BEING IN THIS PROGRAM.

Nice edit. I had the same problem when asking about salaries for civil engineers or other positions I wanted to apply for but more out of curiosity, and if it was large it couldn't hurt

But if you want a better idea, try looking up a specific part of biology, since it does cover a fairly large range of jobs

As a formal Mac Bio grad, I have to say that your earning potential will be pretty abysmal in most circumstances.

I think you guys are unfairly bashing them . Yes its true that you cannot figure out the average money someone with a biology degree makes but its nice knowing around how much you would make.

But would go go through med school and residence and it paid minimum wage by the end? I really doubt that many would.

Originally Posted by MacPack

I think you guys are unfairly bashing them . Yes its true that you cannot figure out the average money someone with a biology degree makes but its nice knowing around how much you would make.

But would go go through med school and residence and it paid minimum wage by the end? I really doubt that many would.

I think the "bashing" is more because the OP wants to know how much money they'll get with a degree, rather than a job. And editing the post to say you like your program really makes no difference lol.

I think part of the reason not many people would go through med school and residence to get paid minimum wage is because med school itself is so expensive. Who is going to put themselves hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt to get paid minimum wage?! You might as well skip (or minimize) the debt part and make minimum wage

Also, med school is a "program", I suppose, but it leads to a rather specific career (doctor), so even though there are many types of doctors that can earn very different salaries, it's much more specific than "biology".

Actually, TBH i'm starting to worry about this myself. Almost done my biology degree and i'm not sure what to do afterwards. I don't want to do med school, optometry, dentistry, phsyio, pharmacy, etc. etc. I am interested in research and going for my masters and then pHd is the tentative plan. But this too takes a long time, a lot of money, and being broke/in dept for a good portion of your life. If I can manage to get into a good industry sector or a professorship I should be set in terms of money. But I don't think that is something I would be into (the professor, industry maybe). I would love to work for environment Canada, or something along the lines, but the pay once again is not too good. and with the current government, i dont really have a future in that area.

Money is something that everyone needs to consider. Even if you are following your passions, you wont get anywhere without money. thinking long term is also good... do i want to get married soon or later, how about having kids? well thats a lot of money you're talking about there. sometimes its also important to put aside your passions for something that may provide better. but that also depends on the person, what they want to do, and what kind of life they want to have in the future.

if you are content, can live at easy with little, and dont have big plans in terms of family/children (yet) then money shouldnt be an issue. on the other hand if you are the opposite than its important to consider which path might be better.

all in all, i didnt read anything anyone else posted and I have already forgot what it was I was trying to get at. .... yea

Originally Posted by Chevalier

Actually, TBH i'm starting to worry about this myself. Almost done my biology degree and i'm not sure what to do afterwards. I don't want to do med school, optometry, dentistry, phsyio, pharmacy, etc. etc. I am interested in research and going for my masters and then pHd is the tentative plan. But this too takes a long time, a lot of money, and being broke/in dept for a good portion of your life. If I can manage to get into a good industry sector or a professorship I should be set in terms of money. But I don't think that is something I would be into (the professor, industry maybe). I would love to work for environment Canada, or something along the lines, but the pay once again is not too good. and with the current government, i dont really have a future in that area.

Money is something that everyone needs to consider. Even if you are following your passions, you wont get anywhere without money. thinking long term is also good... do i want to get married soon or later, how about having kids? well thats a lot of money you're talking about there. sometimes its also important to put aside your passions for something that may provide better. but that also depends on the person, what they want to do, and what kind of life they want to have in the future.

if you are content, can live at easy with little, and dont have big plans in terms of family/children (yet) then money shouldnt be an issue. on the other hand if you are the opposite than its important to consider which path might be better.

all in all, i didnt read anything anyone else posted and I have already forgot what it was I was trying to get at. .... yea

Grad school actually isn't too bad in terms of debt, because the tuition isn't that bad and you do get a stipend, and there are lots of opportunities for scholarships (and they're legit scholarships, not $500), especially if you're in health-related research.

I graduated from mac (life science) last year. Just my personal opinion, but if your not planning on going to professional school (medicine, dentistry, pharmacy etc etc) I would stay the hell AWAY from general science degrees.

Most of my friends that graduated with me are currently unemployed and they have been applying for the past 8 months. There are barely any 'good' jobs out there for people with just a general science degree. jobs that pay 10-13 dollars isnt going to get you anywhere in the long run.

Choose wisely.

Originally Posted by sycoman

I graduated from mac (life science) last year. Just my personal opinion, but if your not planning on going to professional school (medicine, dentistry, pharmacy etc etc) I would stay the hell AWAY from general science degrees.

Most of my friends that graduated with me are currently unemployed and they have been applying for the past 8 months. There are barely any 'good' jobs out there for people with just a general science degree. jobs that pay 10-13 dollars isnt going to get you anywhere in the long run.

Choose wisely.

if you dont mind me asking, what sorts of fields are you and your friends applying to? what kind of work do you hope to do? and did you guys go into science wanting to go to professional school?

Originally Posted by Chevalier

if you dont mind me asking, what sorts of fields are you and your friends applying to? what kind of work do you hope to do? and did you guys go into science wanting to go to professional school?

I currently go to medical school in the US. My friends have been desperately trying to find a job in just about any field. They have been applying to jobs on OSCAR,hospitals, other health care places, even marketing companies and other random places. It is disappointing to see that there isnt much out there. I am sure that they could find jobs that pays minimum wage but who wants to work full time making minimum wage after getting a university degree.

if you are doing a general science degree, I honestly suggest you start looking into different professional programs. If medicine, dentistry, pharmacy isnt your thing, maybe look into physical therapy/occupational therapy etc or other professional programs that place you into some sort of a career. A life science/biology degree isnt going to get you far nowadays.

ps. A few years ago i used to do research at the sick kids hospital and I was surprised to find that most of the secretaries and office assistants there had a BSc.

and yes, everyone went into life science to become a doctor (atleast everyone i know)

There's a girl who graduated from Mac with a life science degree last year that's in my program (Radiation Sciences). Haha.

Being in Med Rad changes nothing. Job opportunities are still abysmal.

I guess this is what happens when you charge $5000 a year for undergrad and a good percentage of the population gets educated. Im not saying its a bad thing. Education in the states is way way more expensive but even those with a basic university degree can get into decent jobs (atleast thats my observation).

You don't earn anything in Honours Biology. You pay the school. Scholarships are rewarded based on financial need or academic preformance.
http://sfas.mcmaster.ca/scholarshipinfo.html

Hope this helps!

Originally Posted by sycoman

I guess this is what happens when you charge $5000 a year for undergrad and a good percentage of the population gets educated. Im not saying its a bad thing. Education in the states is way way more expensive but even those with a basic university degree can get into decent jobs (atleast thats my observation).

in this economy? :|