Should i change majors?

[Deleted]

Hey all,

I am doing Chemistry, but i really hate the lab work and i honestly can't see myself working in a lab it's boring i am clumsy and i am not so good at following all the rules.

So i wanna change majors, but this means i will have to wait untill next september.

[magik8ball]

If you hate it and you can't see any other applications for your major, then do it. Just do all the work necessary to switch, make sure you're caught up on paperwork, and if your college is any good, it won't be a big problem.

Just make sure you're switching into something that you actually enjoy. Something that can make money is always a nice bonus, though.

[belfpala]

http://www.forbes.com/sites/susanada...ting-salaries/

Just saying.

[Catta]

http://www.forbes.com/sites/susanada...ting-salaries/

Just saying.

Where is Medicine dangit?

[Spectral]

As someone that went all the way through a Ph.D. (Microbiology, not Chem, but whatever) that doesn't like working in a lab, I can tell you that you're probably not likely to start enjoying labwork if you don't like it right now. There's times that I very much wish I'd chosen Engineering, Computer Science, or Finance.

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Where is Medicine dangit?

Not a four year degree. Well, I guess pre-Med and Med-tech and such are, but they're not really terribly high income without a graduate degree.

[Pitkanen]

If you are bored with early chemistry labs, then doing it 8 hours a day won't be more exciting. Even analytical work which would reduce the amount of time you spend "working" with chemicals (more instrumentation based), will still be dull. That being said, in terms of boredom you might just be suffering from "grass is greener" complex.

Whatever you do, keep in mind the niche of the market (where are the jobs) / current job seekers in the field compared to job opennings. Obviously salary as well. And the best level of degree to have for that field, not only with respect to $ but also job market competitiveness at that degree level.

[Deleted]

how far through your course are you? have you given it enough time? it may grow on you. don't make rash decisions about important stuff, cos your degree IS important.









..................
fuck it...do an arts major :P

[Jesse Pinkman]

It doesn't really matter, you'll end up working at Walmart like the rest of the college graduates. Sucks you got scammed into going $60-100,000 into debt man.

[Deleted]

It doesn't really matter, you'll end up working at Walmart like the rest of the college graduates. Sucks you got scammed into going $60-100,000 into debt man.

Speak for yourself, did not turn out like that for me.

Edit: Are you the same guy that was banging on about everyone that owns an Iphone supports slavery?

[Jesse Pinkman]

Speak for yourself, did not turn out like that for me.

Edit: Are you the same guy that was banging on about everyone that owns an Iphone supports slavery?

Iphones support slavery? Okay...

How long ago did you graduate? And I see you're in England, not really the same thing.

[mallorea36]

It doesn't really matter, you'll end up working at Walmart like the rest of the college graduates. Sucks you got scammed into going $60-100,000 into debt man.

Pro tip, people with useful degrees get jobs.

[Jesse Pinkman]

Pro tip, people with useful degrees get jobs.

Like dance and acting.

[Deleted]

Speak for yourself, did not turn out like that for me.

Edit: Are you the same guy that was banging on about everyone that owns an Iphone supports slavery?

Nah. He's just an Art History graduate.

[vindicatorx]

It doesn't really matter, you'll end up working at Walmart like the rest of the college graduates. Sucks you got scammed into going $60-100,000 into debt man.

If you have a liberal arts degree I can see this, but, any real degree you won't. My degree has a 93% hire rate by graduation.

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Like dance and acting.

How are those useful?

[vep]

Honestly... You should. Shouldn't even made this thread. Ignore what everyone says and do what feels right. Can't go wrong with that.

[Reeve]

Speak for yourself, did not turn out like that for me.

Edit: Are you the same guy that was banging on about everyone that owns an Iphone supports slavery?

He's also the guy making fun of the dude asking for dating advice on a gaming forum, as if all gamers are socially awkward and can't be successful in the dating world.

[Endus]

If you hate the lab work, you aren't going to enjoy the program. If you don't enjoy the program, you'll find reasons to avoid doing work, and you'll find it harder to focus on the work. You're better off switching to something you DO enjoy.

However, you also need to be clear about something; college is work. And work is mostly not fun. 95% of what you do in any profession is going to suck ass. The trick is finding something where that 95% is something you can handle, and the 5% is enough to keep you fired up and invested.

You need to be looking forward at the job market (unless you're independently wealthy and future employment doesn't matter to you), but there's a wealth of legitimate and beneficial paths to take. You need to find something you find engaging, because the work you get after college is going to be even less "fun" than the college work.

Also, be realistic about your expectations; I assume you're in an undergraduate program, and undergraduate degrees aren't worth a hell of a lot. A B.Sc. in Chemistry doesn't train you to be a chemist. It trains you to wash a chemist's lab equipment. An undergraduate degree is pretty much a basic level of training in your field, so you're not totally incompetent. That doesn't mean an undergraduate degree is useless, but if you want to be a scientist, you need to be planning, today, on your Masters-level program, if not aiming for a doctorate. Same for any other field; a BA in History trains you to have interesting anecdotes while you're working at Starbucks, not to be a historian. For a lot of jobs, the degree is just a demonstration of some basic skills, and the rest you'll learn on the job, and that's fine, just be aware of what the job requirements are for the positions you'll be aiming for out of college, and be planning for them now, not later.

[Pitkanen]

The add to what Endus said... unless you do a research project under a prof, or do an industrial internship... you have no idea what you are getting yourself into as a chemist. Usually the undergraduate research projects are a poor man's, less organized version of industrial research but you still get an idea.

I highly recommend the summer internship, you can talk to the people who HIRE in your field and get the REAL low-down on where the jobs are and what the best level of degree/category to have is... this is true for ALL fields not just chemistry. You college profs and guidance counselors are a lot more useless than you'd expect when it comes to job advice compared to the recruiters/hiring staff at the companies you'd like to work at.

[Bznga]

The add to what Endus said... unless you do a research project under a prof, or do an industrial internship... you have no idea what you are getting yourself into as a chemist. Usually the undergraduate research projects are a poor man's, less organized version of industrial research but you still get an idea.

I highly recommend the summer internship, you can talk to the people who HIRE in your field and get the REAL low-down on where the jobs are and what the best level of degree/category to have is... this is true for ALL fields not just chemistry. You college profs and guidance counselors are a lot more useless than you'd expect when it comes to job advice compared to the recruiters/hiring staff at the companies you'd like to work at.

As a fellow chem. student i say just follow what Pitkanen said.I spent my last summer as an intern in 2 different workplaces.Studying chemistry and working as a chemist isnt the same thing.But still if you really really hate labwork,maybe its not for you.

[Blueobelisk]

You're lucky I'm in a good mood.

Don't switch major if you're going to do something else in science. First of all, a degree is useless, what matters is what you know and who you know. So you have to ask yourself what you're gonna do after school. Which is a big question. Chemists don't have to do lab work, you can move into a very different field.

This is coming from a guy who took 2 general and 2 organic chemistries, 2 biologies, and is a physics major/math minor.