in a total dilema here what would you do?

eventer

I have a biology degree, and an MSc and didn't start on 19K - it was less than that! I was the only one of my MSc year to get a job straight away too (luck more than judgement I think!).

All I can say is if you want to work in a field (no pun intended - I spend a lot of time in fields!) related to biological sciences, then degree or not, you should resign yourself now to never earning that much, especially compared to other people - as a comparison, my partner graduated at the same time as me, works in a comparable sized company, has the same level of post grad qualification as I do, the same amount of experience and the same level of responsibility, and yet earns 7K a year more than I do. That's life - no-one goes into biology related things to earn a fortune I'm afraid, and I have just changed jobs to a company where I have the chance to move into project management because I would like to earn more money!

I think you do have more negotiating power as you have work experience already but the deal with many biological related jobs is this:
- lots of people want to do them, so salaries tend to be low;
- they often have random hours and strange unpaid overtime, occasionally you find someone to work for who gives you flexi or toil, but not often.

I suppose it depends a bit on what you want to do when you graduate? Do you have any ideas?

elantan

thanks everyone ....whilst i know money isnt the answer to everything i think i was just totally shocked to find out that after (in my case) 5 years hard slog working full time studying and collecting student debt along the way i honestly thought that the wage would reflect the effort ...as i said my hubby earns alot more than that and has no qualifications ..thanks again

eventer

elantan wrote:

thanks everyone ....whilst i know money isnt the answer to everything i think i was just totally shocked to find out that after (in my case) 5 years hard slog working full time studying and collecting student debt along the way i honestly thought that the wage would reflect the effort ...as i said my hubby earns alot more than that and has no qualifications ..thanks again

Elantan, what did you do before the course? What do you hope to do with the course?

It could well be that your earning potential is much higher after the degree than you have been advised given your possible past experience.

Mind you, I did laugh out loud when I saw the figure of 19K written down - I don't know a single person who stuck within the field of biology and went straight into a job with just a BSc on 19K - maybe if you just use it as a numerate degree, but TBH I would have thought 15-16K is far more realistic, and I know plenty of people who were stuck on 11-12K and even more who had to volunteer for a year or so.

Sorry, I sound horribly negative now, don't I? If it helps, I love my job!:o

cupid_s

eventer wrote:

Mind you, I did laugh out loud when I saw the figure of 19K written down - I don't know a single person who stuck within the field of biology and went straight into a job with just a BSc on 19K - maybe if you just use it as a numerate degree, but TBH I would have thought 15-16K is far more realistic, and I know plenty of people who were stuck on 11-12K and even more who had to volunteer for a year or so.

I completely agree and its nice to see a sensible post. I also agree with the comment you made that if you care about earning good money, doing science is not really the best idea lol.

I have a degree in biological sciences. I got a first class degree with honours from a red brick uni. When finishing I looked for jobs and the best I could find were paying about 13k (and there wasn't scope to work your way up from that). I was shocked that after 3 years at Uni I would be earning so little but everyone I knew who did science was/is in the same position.

I then did a masters which I averaged over 70% in. Still my earning capabilities were ridiculously low in my opinion.
I am now in the final year of doing a PhD. When I finish I will have been at Uni for 7 years. I will start on just above 20k after that.

Furthermore there isn't really much salary negotiation in science. There are so many applicants for each job there is no need. They pay rubbish money because they can, and people will still want to do the jobs. That's how I got caught up in doing further degrees. I wasn't happy to accept a job where I could never earn more than 16k (which in research is often the case unless you have a higher degree)

cupid_s

Just an aside. As eventer said, they love their job. I love science and it's what I want to do. I have now resigned my self tothe fact that despite me and hubby being clever, both having first class degrees and PhDs we will never earn much money. We don't care cos we'll be doing what we want and to us that counts a lot. But with a family to support there are many other things for you to consider compared to us.

If you're doing a degree in science to earn more, honestly, think again. I cannot see it happening. If I had been better informed when I was about to start Uni, and I'd been told I'd be lucky to get a job paying 14k, (which is the case no matter what you've been told by people selling the course to you), I would not have even bothered doing my first degree and getting into debt.

[Deleted User]

Biological sciences is probably the worst paid of the sciences. I feel fortunate to have started my job at a good uni on 19.5K after a BSc (2:2 Genetics, liverpool) and MSc (comp. biology, Liverpool). I worked there Jan 03 - June 05 and finished on 22.5K - i left because they wouldn't honour a payrise after I hit the top of my band. Went to get a job in IT last year and now i'm on 27.5k, looking towards mid-30k when I get promoted (hopefully in the next 9 months).

The masters was excellent and way more interesting than the degree (we had lectures on information transfer in 'quantum physics' scale biological system, rock on)

Biology is fun, it's interesting, it'll stretch your mind and understanding of the world. It just won't pay much. That's why I left, and I still miss the intellectual challenge

elantan

the degree i am going for is human biology, psychology and sociology i have to admit i do love my current job so i'm not studying because i hate it, just because like many of you i wanted a degree and the enjoyment of going to uni and studying.....when i was younger degree's wernt as common as they are now ..in one of my jobs every body i work with has one and not one of them are working in the field that they qualified in.....i was hoping to go into tutoring or health advice rather than working in a lab....i seem to be more of a people person....and now i'm finding out that i will be lucky to earn £19,000 i'm back to thinking is it worth it or would i be better doing my degree part time through the o.u ( in scotland we dont pay for our fees if we are full time students)

Tustastic

Studying through the OU is fine if you are disciplined enough to spend several hours a week studying (mostly alone) on top of work and family life. I passed 3 modules then gave up, but I was not very disciplined.:o

elantan

i've done one course through the o.u and am undertaking another one just now but i totally agree with you i think i will find it lonely and expensive (hence the reason for going to uni full time)...life just cant be easy can it lol...

sgx.saint

hey and at 24 you are a young pup ...i'm thinking of caledonian uni in glasgow..i noticed your teeside where do you go to if i'm not being to personal?

Yeah, don't need a free bus pass just yet

I study at the University of Teesside, im studying a BSc (Hons) Computer Studies. Always been good at IT and I really enjoy the degree. Although this is my second time back at Uni. I originally went back in 2001 straight from college but found it not for me so I left.

Only now when I have lived a little more and worked a little more do I realise what I missed out on.