If I decide to go into a biology major or other related fields (i.e. biochemistry, microbiology) is it relatively easy to find jobs or should I look into going to grad school soon after I graduate from college? What kinds of jobs would be available to me?

Hi Sharlene,

What career field would you like to go into with your science degree(s). I think the direction you'd like to go plays a big part in the advice you'll get. As a Biology major, I found myself in classes with a wide variety of other Science major - the majority of which were using their degrees (Biology, Zoology, Microbiology, Chemistry) to go on to obtain a position in the medical field. Many medical positions such as Physical Therapy, Dentistry, Medicine, Optometry, etc require a science undergrad before applying to graduate school. Additionally, these careers require graduate/professional degrees prior to obtaining those positions.

If you are looking to stay in environmental science, that's a big of a different story. There are positions in research, working for parks, the government, etc that would only require Bachelor degrees to get a foot in the door. These jobs can be tricky to get and the biggest advice I'd give you is to get out there and see what opportunities are out there for you to start gaining experience! Many colleges have a wide variety of research labs where you can gain experience. For example, I worked one semester for class credit in a lab researching animal habitats in the while. For 2 years I also worked in an aquatic ecology research lab where I counted and identified zooplankton species to determine how chemicals from runoff were impacting the very bottom of the food-chain. From my work in this lab, I was offered a great to pursue my Masters degree while continuing work with that professor. By putting yourself out there, you'll not only gain experience and start to narrow down what you want to do and how you want to get there, you may also open up doors for opportunities!

The first step I would suggest would be to reach out to someone in the field you are interested in and find out what their background is. The more people you talk to, the better idea you'll get of what it takes to start out in a career you are interested in. You can also look on job search sites such as Indeed.com to look for positions you are interested in. From there, you will be able to read what the job responsibilities are and what the requirements are to get a job that you are interested in.

Best wishes to you!

I believe the easiest jobs to find in that field would be lab-related jobs. If you like or have some experience in lab work, this might give you an idea of what you could face upon graduation. These jobs usually provide a decent salary and I would definitely say, "Go for it!" if you think that type of work might interest you.

Best of Luck!