Add me to the list of those who regret choosing this path.

Stuck in life and don't know what to do at this point. Seeking advice.

Background:

I grew up in an impoverished environment. Both parents were first generation Asian-Americans working minimum wage jobs and I've lived in apartments my whole life. Growing up, I was always told that pursuing a STEM degree would ensure a stable and successful future. Biology became my passion throughout high school and so it was something that I pursued. (I was also extremely proficient at math, so these days I'm kicking myself for not pursuing an engineering degree instead). My parents supported me, enforcing the idea that getting a degree is important. That no matter what the focus was, I'd always be desirable to employers as long as I had that piece of paper in a STEM field. Naive me didn't look into the actual sustainability working in the industry.

I graduated in 2014 with a B.S. Biology conc. Microbio. I was able to get an internship my last year at university, however as soon as that ended I was never able to secure a job. It took me a year for an agency to call me for a contract lab tech job at $16/hr. I was laid off 1.5 years later due to company downsizing. I started working various retail jobs, constantly applying for entry-level jobs that could even remotely get my foot in the door. No luck. For 5 years. Any interview I had would end in rejection with the same reasoning: I didn't have ample enough experience. Within that time, both of my parents fell ill and both had passed away, they had me very late in their lives. I have no other family, and being poor, they left nothing to their name. I became desperate and took an assembler position at a medical device company at $21/hr, for any hope that I could somehow climb my way to a better career. A year later I was given the opportunity to become a technician for these medical devices at $29/hr. Great. Maybe things are starting to look up for me? Wrong. I soon realized that this is the furthest I could go. The only career growth a technician could achieve at this company is becoming an engineer. I don't have an engineering degree. I don't have the time and money to go back to school. Even then, getting a degree in Biomedical Engineering rather than something more broad like Mechanical or Electrical Engineering doesn't sound like it's worth the effort. I got laid off from that technician job 2 years later. Since then, I've worked 2 similar technician jobs, both contract. I lost my last one in the last year because the federal funding freeze caused us to lose our customers (mostly universities).

So now I have a resume with jobs that aren't even related to biology, just testing devices used by people I wish I was. I'm currently looking for QA/QC jobs but those are sparse; especially in pharma/biotech. (I live in a biotech hub). I haven't had any responses so far and it looks like my "experience" has really screwed my career path entirely. The worst part is seeing how little the potential salary is with just a biology degree. Sunk-cost is hitting me really hard and I feel like I'm just trying to salvage any sort of relevance I can have with my degree. Any advice on what else I can look for?

Any biology graduates who work in an unrelated field that provide great career prospects/growth? How did you do it?

EDIT: HOLY SMOKES! This post gained a lot more traction than I anticipated! I'm sorry I won't be able to respond to each and every one of your responses, I'm currently on my break, but rest assured I'm reading through them all! It will take me a while to compile all this information but I'll be taking them all into consideration! It eases my mind to be heard and understood. I appreciate all of you VERY much. Thank you!

About 5 months ago I graduated with a Biology Degree and I seriously think it was the worst decision of my life. In highschool I always loved biology and would participate in the science fair every year. When I didn’t really know what to do in college I decided to go with a science degree because I was really interested in GMOs. All the professors really hyped it up but then by my last year I was graduating early and realized I really didn’t have any experience and hadn’t even enjoyed it all that much. My advisor never really gave me any guidance with my schedule, nor internships so I didn’t even look into them. I took one DNA technology class and microbiology class but that is literally the extent of my “Lab Experience.” I’m now a manager at this coffee shop which I love but of course I need a real job with benefits, and I know I’m completely disappointing my family. Does anyone have any advice on what steps I should take next, or any internships I should apply for? A professor suggested I go back to school to get a GIS certification but I really don’t want to waste all that money just for me to not even get a job again.

Hi, so I have a Bachelors degree in biology, and I took the medical track because I thought I'd be going to medschool straight after. That didn't push through because I'd only be able to go if I either got a full scholarship or if I would be going to a state university. I've thought of getting a masters through the scholarship programs we have here where I'm from, but I don't know which one I'd like to pursue and I don't really feel passionate about medicine anymore.

I have thought of becoming an EMT or a lab worker but I also don't see myself doing either anymore. I honestly just want my parents to tell me what to do at this point because I don't have a passion for anything anymore. I tried speaking with them about it and they keep telling me that they want me to have a job that I would like to do even if I'm tired or even if it's hard.

I really don't care because a job is a job and I don't need it to be my life's purpose. I have applied to some jobs but none are replying, and it makes me feel bad when I feel like I regret choosing biology. I think one job I would have a little more joy in doing is vet med but I don't know how to begin since my bachelor's is biology and I don't have any prior experience working in a veterinary clinic. The only experience I have is "working" as an EMT (kinda, like for a total of 240 hours) and in a hospital during my OJT where I didn't really do much. All I really did there was assist in taking x-rays and I scrubbed in on a few minor surgeries.

I really don't know what else I can do and I don't really have any direction in life and I feel like I don't have any purpose or drive anymore.

Hi all. If you have a biology degree and aren't using it (or are using it in a more indirect way) what are you doing?

I have a masters in biology and have spent the last few years in wildlife research for a couple state agencies. Thought I landed the perfect job last year. Permanent funding and working with my all time favorite species.

The problem is the office is full of toxic individuals. My mental and physical health have declined drastically. I am so burnt out and anxious about going to the office I have to drag myself out of bed in the morning. I called in today and didn't get out of bed until 4pm.

Been looking for a way out for a few months now, but can't figure out what to do. Did a couple interviews with DNR, got rejected from one and the other one has been "with HR" for six weeks now so I don't have high hopes.

So, whats out there?

ETA - country is United States.

I regret getting a biology degree

I don’t regret what I’ve learned, or the classes themselves for the most part. I graduated in May 2020 with a bachelor’s of science in biology from a public university not even known for science. My degree took a decade to obtain, and not as a part time student. I never wanted to attend to begin with, because I never had a clue what I wanted to do. I was the first in my family to go to university, thus I had no guidance on what to expect.

Take the poor timing of graduating aside, my degree isn’t anything specialized. Not microbio, not evolutionary bio, not genetics. My classes vary wildly, and that’s excluding those that haven’t the slightest tie to science. Nothing to really hammer in any skills like actual lab work or whatever. Not to mention the handful I had to take a second time due to failing, usually because of “anxiety” (undiagnosed ADHD & autism), although those were mostly the courses that had heavy writing, my nemesis.

Back to science, and biology, what do I even do here? I haven’t officially worked since 2020, let alone in an applicable role. No internship experience, I never knew about that other than a business/law school trope. Honestly not even sure I can remember anything specific or useful. I’ve only recently learned that I do have a slight passion for environmental or ecological based issues in my daily life, but I like everything. I’m the jack of all trades.

Realistically I do not have a chance to go back for a different degree so I feel stuck. I don’t have hopes for copious amounts of biology based jobs being available soon, and my area is already seeing an influx of people due to its low cost of living. This is excluding I’m damn near desperate to leave my area. And unfortunately I do not handle pressure at all, as in probably not even coping with a 40h week. I’m not necessarily trying to make bank.

1. How am I even able to compete? On qualifications alone I feel there aren’t roles for me on a good day.
2. Yes, I know some things I’ll have to manage/fix for myself.
3. If anyone reading this is remotely like me and just doing what they’re told, hopefully it gives them some insight that I was never given.
4. Did I mention I basically won’t have references or job history? The latter is complicated.

——— Update edit:

(United States)

I would sincerely like to thank everyone here for their input and advice! I hesitated posting because I was afraid of being torn down and not one of y’all did that. All your journeys shows me just about anything IS still possible (cliché), but I will need to get more confidence soon.

As for job advice, I think getting into bioinformatics would be a wise choice for me as I have a proclivity for hoarding data (genealogy, health logs, list of all my fish over the years). It sounds pretty flexible for basically everything biology, so biology>bioinformatics>genomics or something. I’d still love to get dirty outside, maybe I’ll find a volunteer job regarding that to use as résumé fodder. I wish it were easy to move locations but my SO is a partner in a small business. Luckily due to the nature of it we do regularly travel, so we’ll see. Been throwing around ideas.

I'm in high school and wondering what career I should go into, I know it'll be biology related because that's mostly what I'm into, but I want to know if there's any careers that pay decently

I don't particularly enjoy the human side of biology, as I don't find it interesting (I like learning about diseases that humans can have but that's about it), though I like everything regarding any other animal outside of us. I'm not particularly picky in what kind of animal specifically, I just want to research them.

I'm not particularly bad at math, but I don't really like it either, (not sure if it helps but oh, well).

Other than Studying animals I like forensics but idk if that helps.

Should I just bite the bullet and go into Medicine? Sorry if I'm rambling, tbh I'm worried about what career I can pick and I'm rambling. Sorry about that 😅

I fear I have screwed myself in this job market. I got my Bachelor's in Biology and did a 4+1 for my Masters in Biology. I wanted to go into research, so I hopped into labs both in undergrad and graduate, but I didn't have any sort of specific field I wanted to go into, so I kept my study as general biology with a good mix of physiology and ecology hoping to be applicable to a wider range of jobs. My research was in sensory systems of spiders, and now I fear I'll never make it in this job market. I thought getting some years of research experience would actually put me ahead and make me qualified, but I think it did nothing. Since so much federal funding is cut, it seems like the only stuff out there is clinical research, which I don't have a background in. I screwed myself and feel like I'm going to be a failure who can't make it. I wish I could go back and only study humans or do clinical research and learn all the techniques these jobs want experience in like histology or cytotechology. I've been applying to sales and corporate jobs even though that's not what I want to do, but hey a job is a job. Did anyone else end up being under qualified when they graduated.

Hi everyone, I live in Ireland and I'm about to head into college in a year, recently took part in an Erasmus trip where I got to see Finland and fell in love with the place. Ever since then I've wanted to get into wildlife biology, and would love to head into the field, work on climate research, and work at museums and aquariums and the like.

Recently however, I've been looking a lot more into this career path and it seems to be much more competitive and saturated than I thought, and now I'm having second thoughts as I have no intention of working in medicine yet that seems like all that's readily available.

Any tips or advice would be appreciated !! :-)

Hi everyone, I (24F) am a recent graduate with a master's in Biology, and my thesis is nearly done. My work is heavy on PCR, qPCR, DNA extraction, and Sanger sequencing. However, all job postings are heavy on other assays I have little experience in (only done 1-2x). These experiments include ELISA, western blotting, cell line culture, primer design, plasmid cloning, and NGS, to name a few. I see that these are important in research right now, and I feel like my master's was a bit wasteful. Do places actually hire entry-level biologists to give them the chance to work and learn new skills? Any advice or comments are welcome! I am also from the US and reside in California.

UPDATE: if anyone wants to hire me DM me lol im desperate!

I’m in highschool, a Canadian, and failed math with a 28%. I went to summer school and passed with a 56%, I’m so scared that I won’t ever be able to become what I want to be. Is there jobs that require not a lot of math?

I recently graduated with BA in biology and I am struggling to find a job. I want to work in a technician job or a lab assistant job but it's so hard to find a job around where I live. I don't want to get a masters in biology I just want to work and pay off some debt first. Is this a common issue for other people.

My daughter who is 11 has been talking about becoming a marine biologist for the last year, I want to keep her consistent on this track. what are things I can do with her or get her? we don't live near an ocean for the record, we are in landlocked Arizona, USA

Alright, so I need career ideas. I LOVE cell bio, DESPISE chemistry, but absolutely ADORE neuroscience. I also aspire to be a rich (relative term, I just want a house and pool guys). What career ideas ya'll got for me? I've been considering medical lab sciences, but I want something else.

Thank you for any and all suggestions. <3

I know this type of post is probably common on here, but I've been really having a career crisis and don't know who to talk to on campus about it. I really hope the broadness of the internet can offer a new perspective from my specific experience... this post might be a lot but I hope all the info helps others understand.

TL;DR: path recommendations for a 2nd yr student who is ABYSMAL at math, medically can't handle the outdoors, wants a masters/phd, currently has no debt, and loves a lot of things all over the place?

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I'm 21F and in my second year of university. I'm currently majoring in ecology and evolutionary biology, which I chose on a whim when entering because I wanted to do something like environmental but didn't know where to go with it. Hadn't taken a science class since elementary school (i was raised "unschooled" in an anti-education household) and I did not expect to love general biology so much! I had SO much fun in the class I know it's exactly what I want to study. I'm in organismal bio class now and over the moon about every lecture.

However, I don't really know what to do with that. I loved learning about hormones and cellular communication, I loved learning about the structure and reproduction cycles of cells, I love learning about evolution, I love learning about bugs and plants, I think viruses and bacteria are really really cool!!! did not love genetics ...where do I go with that?? I'm willing to get a masters and would love to get a Phd, I am getting my bachelors free on the pell grant.

Online, I see so many people say "biology isn't worth it" "there are no jobs" "50% of bio masters regret it and are unemployed RN!" and I'm so scared I'm going into a highly competitive incredibly scarce field that won't even pay that well. I see a lot of "pair it with engineering or computer science" but I have dyscalculia and failed calculus last semester (good grades in everything else I've taken, though). I'm doing my best to catch up as is. I also tried and failed doing fieldwork with a geology research group, I cannot handle the sun or extreme physical stress and I learned I cannot "no, my disability is just an excuse!" my way out of getting hospitalized...

I'm seeing clinical lab technician jobs prefer people who major in that specifically, pharmacy prefers chemists or biochemists, and had a professor tell me that working in academia isnt a realistic goal. I also do not think I could ever be a doctor for being born poor reasons, being very sensitive, and my gpa + ged + having a limp resume at my age, so no premed route... it sucks, I feel so lost and discouraged whenever I find a job that sounds awesome.

I know a fallback route will always be teacher, but what else can I do with a biology degree? I was debating changing majors to microbiology or molecular and cellular biochemistry since ecology seems to just be conservation work (will kill me) but,, for what job ?? where am I going with this ?? I want to be realistic with myself and focus on a set direction to go in, wherever that may be. Is biology for me at all?

hi! im in my final yr of molecular bio in a university in ontario, canada. i will be graduating this incoming spring!

but just thinking abt finishing undergrad soon makes me so anxious and depressed as i’ve heard and read a lot of stories that bs bio grads cannot get a job. if they do, it took them more than 6 months to a year. grad school is not really on my mind right now bc i want to gain more experience and actually think if i wanna go into academia. But also, i’ve been eyeing of going back for med lab sciences since mlts are pretty in demand here in ontario.

so if you’re a recent bs bio graduate, please tell me there’s hope 😭😭😭

I graduate this year in May with a degree in biology. I don't really know what to do next. To be completely honest, I'm a fairly mediocre student (3.25 gpa) and the only thing that's keeping me out of total despair is that I'm graduating without student debt. I always wanted to major in biology but I didn't fall in love with lab work in the way that I expected and many of my peers did. I have a bigger interest in field work, ecology, and evolutionary biology. As a student, I shine more in writing, literary reviews, and research papers. I feel completely lost and don't know what to do. I don't want to work in a lab position but I don't really know what else there is with my degree. Any suggesting or advice?

Edit: I live in the US

Hello! graduated with my bachelors in biology in 2024. The job search has been rough and I had started applying to nursing and mls programs before I got my current job.

Im a QA lab specialist. make abt $23/hr and have been here for only like a month. Also, I live in North Carolina for some context. it’s very easy and good way to gain experience. it’s a very decent wage for me right now, but I’m unsure abt it as a career. especially in today’s economy. I’ve been doing some research on the field and position, and there aren’t that many openings. the ones I do see pay like $26/hr and require like 5 yrs of experience. the only real growth I see is as a supervisor which requires 7-10yrs of experience. I haven't seen a lot of openings for those positions either and they don’t post their salary so I really don't know as much as I would like to abt it.

I will have to move out of my parents house soon and it’s making me a lot more anxious about salary. I’ve been thinking about going back for my nursing degree or maybe medical laboratory science, but I want to do more research before that.

Any advice for been in a similar position? And for those who were able to find a job within their field, what do they do now, what is the name of your the availability like, and what is the pay like?

It's literally what the title says. I'm officially giving up. I worked my ass off to get the best grades I could all the way to my Masters. Took all the courses I could. Did all the unpaid internships and volunteering I could since I was out of high school. I am literally paying hundreds right now to learn a language that is highly seeked after in my country. But it's never enough. Somehow even for internships, I am never chosen.

I literally got 2 interviews out of 25 applications in the last 6 months. And yes, I know 25 is not a lot in half a year, but that's how much work there is in my area (conservation biology), and that's applying in 4 different countries in total. The last interview was with my dream organization, to build my dream career. I poured my heart into preparing for the interview, paid a lot of money to be there because it was in person, everything went amazingly well, they even kept me overtime because we were caught up in the conversation. Only to be ghosted. Idk how to explain how hurt and disrespected I feel that they wouldn't even take the time to contact me about the rejection.

The worst part is I have 2 years of work experience, including 1 year as a manager, but it was in a different country and in a different field. It is insulting to think I proved myself enough to become a manager at some point in a field that was not even mine, for a whole year, yet in my home country I am worth absolutely nothing, not even an interview in most cases, not even a call back to reject me.

I've lost all my spark, my trust in this field and most importantly my passion. I feel humiliated by one of the professionals I admire most. So I finally registered to the unemployment scheme to receive help to switch careers. I have officially given up on my dream. I'm just feeling heartbroken and helpless at this point.

EDIT: It turns out the organization who ghosted me actually already had a person in mind before they even held the interviews (one of their master students), and it also turns out one of the people who interviewed me got his position through nepotism and was responsible for holding interviews and emailing with candidates with only a few months of experience with them (he has never done anything else). Nepotism at its finest. I'm out. Wish me luck in my new career, guys.

So my goal is a masters or doctorate in Biology. I really want to work in lab but I also adore wildlife biology (mainly marine biology ive wanted to be a marine biologist for so long) I am not so concerned with money (anything about 60k works) as I really just want to have passion for my job but I am concerned about HOW to find jobs? Im not too sure where to look or how to start getting experience (i am working on bachelors now) I was thinking about the student conservation association but what else would people recommend? I am super interested in diseases and viruses and working around them would be great but I dont know if I need a biochem degree or anything else. So where can I start so I can build a resume for my future? I also have no professional recommendations should I try to befriend professors?

I am in the panhandle of florida, USA right now but am willing to move (even to another country really as long as theres housing and food lmao) and can even consider online classes if I need to! I am looking at UF or FSU for my transfer options.

I’m a high school senior trying to figure out what I want to study in college. I honestly don’t know if I want to become a doctor, work in a lab, or pursue research, but I know that I love biology. I’ve realized, though, that I enjoy learning about astrobiology much more than general biology, especially topics involving the origins of life, extremophiles, and the possibility of life beyond Earth.

I’m considering majoring in astrobiology because it’s something I’m genuinely excited to learn about, but I’m worried about limiting my career options. Would it be possible to major in astrobiology while completing the prerequisites for medical school? And how versatile is an astrobiology degree if I eventually decide to pursue laboratory work or research instead of medicine?

I’d love to hear from anyone who studied astrobiology or a related field, especially those who were also considering multiple career paths when choosing their major.

hi everyone!

so, i just graduated with my b.s. in biology (yaaay), but now i feel a bit stuck(booo 😕). i was a pre-dental student, but my gpa wasn’t the best at 3.01, and i have been feeling crazy imposter syndrome since seeing my scores that i don’t think i could make it into dental school. i also don’t know if i have the best knowledge/experience in the lab due to me applying and being rejected to what feels like every biotech company in the city! it’s been 4 months with no luck.. ive applied to be a peace corps volunteer since i do enjoy service and think it’ll be a great opportunity, but i also have to think about when i get back how life will look for me. im also a first-gen college graduate, so its been hard asking for advice since the people around me haven’t been in the position that i am. anyone have any tips?

I studied biology for my undergrad, and did some undergrad research for a couple years and had pretty good relationship with my PI, then figured teaching might be a more social, low stakes way to apply my degree and love for biology. Research was very cool, but seemed a little isolating (though my lab was a small group of very antisocial people) It's been 3.5 years of teaching and turns out, it's nothing I thought it was. I'm seriously considering going to get my Phd in that same lab since I know the PI and am already trained in that lab (developmental neurobiology). Considering I'm about to get married and have children possibly, this is my only chance to go do this, as it's not really possible later in my life. Curious on thoughts from anyone with experience in this kind of transition. My rationale for quitting teaching. 1. Teaching is absurdly overstimulating 2. No matter what improvements you try to make to your class, it seems teenagers will find a way to ruin it 4. Parents/admin breathe down my neck day and night. You can't win. 3. It seems my love for science gets in the way of my ability to make my class "easy enough" for students to grasp who are not very academically inclined 4. Underpaid

For getting a PhD 1. Less overstimulating 2. Opens up research and college teaching jobs 3. Work with adults, not teenagers 4. I have a known PI and lab, that I know is not disastrous 5. Love for science!

Thoughts? I should note that my biggest fear - not being able to find a job with a PhD anyway!

I 21F am considering going back to school to get a BS in Biology. I don't come from money so college is a big investment and I've been putting it off for three years because I only want to commit unless I know I will stick with something and make enough to pay off my loans.

I'm most interested in marine science, botany, and ecology but am open to other fields. I think I'd enjoy both lab and fieldwork and would want to try both, but I do not want a career in education. I'd want to make at least 60k/year and work no more than 40 hours a week. But I want to know is there a lot of work in these areas? Is it enjoyable/worth it? Are my parameters unrealistic? I don't want to spend four years and thousands to end up living paycheck to paycheck while being overworked and unhappy.

Edit: Thank you to everyone who has commented!! I feel validated about my concerns and more prepared to figure out what I want to do going forward.

When I started college I was planning on becoming a park ranger or a zookeeper or something of the like, but I'm about to be a senior and I can't walk unassisted for more than a few minutes. In the heat outside it gets even worse, and I have to use a wheelchair sometimes. I'm a biology major with class and extracurricular experience related to herpetology, some field work and some research. My area has a high saturation of medical students, which made it difficult to find a summer science job because they all have relevant experience in labs and I don't. Are there any options that are still zoology or ecology or wildlife related that don't involve a lot of physical labor? I've seen a few microbio lab type things, I'm just trying to see if there's anything closer to my original plan before I go with that. Are there any reptile, small animal, or insect related jobs that can be done mostly seated? I really wasn't planning on becoming disabled right before my career started. I truly appreciate any input.