Help me narrow down my major

[Q. G. Pennyworth]

There are always jobs for people in polymers and robots.

Robots would go under engineering I think. Polymers might be good.

UMass Amherst has a *serious* polymers program, I don't know about the Boston campus.

[Nephew Twiddleton]

There are always jobs for people in polymers and robots.

Robots would go under engineering I think. Polymers might be good.

UMass Amherst has a *serious* polymers program, I don't know about the Boston campus.

I think I can do distance learning, but I'd have to look into it. If I enrolled at UMA, I would have to get a car.

[Cainad (dec.)]

If you do end up going into Environmental Science, pay special attention to two specific areas for maximum employablility: Geographical Information Systems (GIS software, typically ArcGIS) and Hydrology. Chemistry is a big plus too.

Cainad,
On the job hunt, and really wishing he'd taken Hydrology

[Nephew Twiddleton]

If you do end up going into Environmental Science, pay special attention to two specific areas for maximum employablility: Geographical Information Systems (GIS software, typically ArcGIS) and Hydrology. Chemistry is a big plus too.

Cainad,
On the job hunt, and really wishing he'd taken Hydrology

Actually I think I saw somewhere that hydrology was going to be an in demand career going forward.

[Suu]

I know you said Boston area, but there is a hell of a lot of pharmaceutical and prosthetic companies in Rhode Island, but closer to the CT border in South County.  Nunnery Prosthetics is in North Kingstown. URI has the Immunology and Informatics lab at the Providence campus. There are definitely jobs.

And you know environmental science is huge in New England has a whole. You have everything from city parks to national parks within 50-100 miles of Boston.

I'm a little iffy about the pharmaceutical industry, though that is something worth considering. If the money was right I would consider employment outside of Boston, as long as it was still in Southern New England. I would probably have to move to Providence in that case, which wouldn't be a bad thing, since I could still go to Boston relatively easy whenever I wanted.

I might double major with environmental science, as I can see the demand for that only going up. Or, failing that as a minor.

It always makes me leery that the 3rd floor of that building has diseases in dishes in rooms. o.O

[Nephew Twiddleton]

I know you said Boston area, but there is a hell of a lot of pharmaceutical and prosthetic companies in Rhode Island, but closer to the CT border in South County.  Nunnery Prosthetics is in North Kingstown. URI has the Immunology and Informatics lab at the Providence campus. There are definitely jobs.

And you know environmental science is huge in New England has a whole. You have everything from city parks to national parks within 50-100 miles of Boston.

I'm a little iffy about the pharmaceutical industry, though that is something worth considering. If the money was right I would consider employment outside of Boston, as long as it was still in Southern New England. I would probably have to move to Providence in that case, which wouldn't be a bad thing, since I could still go to Boston relatively easy whenever I wanted.

I might double major with environmental science, as I can see the demand for that only going up. Or, failing that as a minor.

It always makes me leery that the 3rd floor of that building has diseases in dishes in rooms. o.O

I'm used to it. We have the same thing on the 7th and 8th floors at my place. Maybe in the basement too, but that's mostly the animal labs.

....which makes me wonder what's on the 6th floor....


Part of what makes me iffy about the pharmaceutical thing is that I would probably have to experiment on animals, which I would feel bad about, and that whatever I'm working on might get outsourced to impoverished Indian subjects who are testing several experimental medications at once because it's cheaper than reimbursing Americans. I'd feel horrible about that, plus it fudges the data significantly.

[Suu]

I have a couple of friends in biotech jobs near Boston, not sure what they are, other than one does work with genetics.

[Nephew Twiddleton]

I have a couple of friends in biotech jobs near Boston, not sure what they are, other than one does work with genetics.

That's also doable. So, it seems like some sort of biological specialty with at least a minor in environmental is looking the most promising. I should probably look into these various fields and see what's required of them.

[Nephew Twiddleton]

I'm thinking biochemistry, microbiology, or biophysics. All solid research fields with good career options. I feel strongly that biotechnology and bioresearch is where it's going to be at in the next couple decades. If you could relocate to Chicago, I would suggest neuroscience, because holy shit.

Environmental science could be a good field too.

I would only go for engineering if you absolutely love it.

You didn't hear it from me but bioelectronics is going to be huge. I don't mean electronics for the body though that is an application, but that as the resources used to create electronic components and the cost of energy rise the only viable solution is to copy the existing biological system.

Bump, especially in regards to this.

What would be the best double major here, Biotech and Electrical Engineering? Here are two things to keep in mind:

1) I'm probably going to go to a state university within the next 2 years, and that's probably going to be UMass Boston, so I have to work with what they have.
2) I'm probably going to have to pursue a masters with this, no? It seems like it's still an emerging field.

I find this particular career track interesting.

[Faust]

I'm thinking biochemistry, microbiology, or biophysics. All solid research fields with good career options. I feel strongly that biotechnology and bioresearch is where it's going to be at in the next couple decades. If you could relocate to Chicago, I would suggest neuroscience, because holy shit.

Environmental science could be a good field too.

I would only go for engineering if you absolutely love it.

You didn't hear it from me but bioelectronics is going to be huge. I don't mean electronics for the body though that is an application, but that as the resources used to create electronic components and the cost of energy rise the only viable solution is to copy the existing biological system.

Bump, especially in regards to this.

What would be the best double major here, Biotech and Electrical Engineering? Here are two things to keep in mind:

1) I'm probably going to go to a state university within the next 2 years, and that's probably going to be UMass Boston, so I have to work with what they have.
2) I'm probably going to have to pursue a masters with this, no? It seems like it's still an emerging field.

I find this particular career track interesting.

I'm not sure what it is, but I think it would be hard to fully reconcile those into a single degree, they both come from a different place so there would be a lot of modules involved, so yes a masters would probably be necessary.

[GrannySmith]

So, I'm thinking, biology of some flavor, engineering, environmental sciences or chemistry. I'm willing to entertain computer sciences, but that might add more boredom. Or rather tediousness. Engineering may pose a problem in that I've never actually built anything, but if you know a website where I can tinker with rudimentary projects to get a feel if it's something I want to try, feel free. My favorite science is astronomy and related fields but that's too specialized and I don't want to go to school until I'm in my 40s.

I'd take a general science program if I could, but, well, I can't.

Twid,
31 and abandoning History, and BA's in general.

I also think that any bioengineering field would fit you - biology with all the fun of engineering, and if you choose your employer carefully you can be proud of your job too and help people... also from what i hear, some fields there, synthetic biology for example, are not too difficult, as astronomy or logic...
http://www.igem.org

whatever it is - great decision, all the best!

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Looking at your options at Umass Boston, this stands out as an interesting undergrad track: http://www.umb.edu/academics/csm/biology/ug/biotechnology

It appears to be designed to feed into this program: http://www.umb.edu/academics/csm/biology/grad/bmebt_phd

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

To be completely honest, I would not go into that program with the idea of double-majoring in engineering, unless you get to it and your adviser thinks it will really strengthen your application. The only reason I'm double majoring is because I think it will help my future research, assuming I end up a PI, and in the short run will make me more likely to match with a researcher. I think that if bioengineering is what you want to do, you are better off focusing on the biotech track and doing really well in it, while hopefully building relationships with some of the researchers in the bioengineering program. You will have an edge over outside applicants if you have someone who wants you in their lab.