Biotechnology?

I'm considering making this my major. It seems like an interesting, relevant field with great career opportunities. I also think I could stay interested in it. I think I could do it, but i wanted to know if anyone has/is majoring in this area and if they could say whether its incredibly difficult or if success is just a matter of being fairly intelligent and dedicated.

Well, I am only a freshman and haven't had a single biology or chemistry class. I am actually majoring in biochemistry/biotech. The university added biotech to the biochem major. It basically deals with cloning, stem cells, that kinda shit.

I was going to go for biological engineering, but I'm having second thoughts about it. Its the only major that really interests me, but the workload doesn't seem to be worth it at this point. All of my general education (2-3 years worth of school) is useless for the major, and to transfer to a UC I need another 2-3 years of all the chemistry, organic chemistry, biology, physics, and calculus courses (JUST TO GET IN TO THE PROGRAM). After that, figure another 3 years for the B.A., which doesn't count for dick in the industry so I'd have to tough out a masters or PHD down the road. I can't hang in calculus and I'm fucking up in chemistry for some reason (something I should be good at) so I'm thinking about selling out and going for something easier like an MBA or some shit. I can't handle much more school.

The pay for biochemists is shit anyway, considering how much work you have to put in for the degree. People with master's average about 70,000 a year, phds 80,000-100,000. I mean, its not bad, but I could probably make more than that selling insurance or home loans and I don't have to put in a decade of school to do it.

sepultura says that biotech is godzilla!

thanks Wood.

i'm not a biotech major, but yeah definately plan on working your ass off especially if youre concerned about gpa. if you're at a decent school and you have to take a class that's curved and your peers are a bunch of premeds that study all the time and the median of the curve is like c+ or something, you're gunna have to be pretty motivated to do well. if thats what interests you though, i'd say go for it.

Oh fuck, I really didn't want to hear that, SHIT.

Kilgore said:

Oh fuck, I really didn't want to hear that, SHIT.

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Sucks, huh? My dreams are being quashed before my eyes and I'm not even technically in the program yet. I still might go through with it, but I'm starting to make serious backup plans. Biology will always be my main love though.

I'm doing a biochemistry Phd after finishing my masters in the same subject in the uk.

I would echo what was said here in that it is a lot of work with a relatively low wage at the end of it but if all you are interested in was money don't do science!!

I would suggest you study biochemistry and not biotech as you will cover a broader range of subjects and will be given the option to specialise later on.