.webp?h=8 "Top Hat (black) - Traditional. Classy. Elegant.")
Labcels cope about their choices
Low pay, long hours, no advancement. Job market is absolutely terrible. Can barely find a job opportunity and when I do the pay is almost always $22/hr or below. I graduated in 2019 and have been working since. Still don't make more than 45K a year and I'm pretty sure I'm about to get laid off...again, and will probably have to take an even lower paying job to make ends meet. I don't live anywhere near a hub and don't intend to because this is where my family is and those areas are not somewhere I want to live and raise a family. I wish I would've known this when I was younger and didn't listen to the people around me telling me to follow my dreams and all that bullshit. This career path feels like a dead end. About to leave science altogether and pursue something useful like a trade. Any other middle America biologists out there that can sympathize? I wish I would've got a useful degree. Can't even work in a hospital lab because I need a medical science cert. What a piece of shit career. I feel duped by the college system but at the end of the day it's my fault for falling for it. This whole field relies on other people's money to fund it and produces very little in return. Frick biology.
And academia rants
https://old.reddit.com/r/labrats/comments/xvervj/a_single_tweet_explaining_in_full_why_im_leaving/
To PhD or not Phd? That is the question
https://old.reddit.com/r/labrats/comments/11rgqi2/i_will_not_defend_my_phd/
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
RE: Biology degree.
What college did this person attend? Did they talk to anyone else in any of their classes? No one gets a BS in bio and stops there. Your cohorts are all also in a pre-med track of some kind OR they are insane and "want to get a PhD," which doesn't pay much better but literally no one tells anyone, 'yeah get a bach in bio and you'll be set!" It's the STEM degree for people who just need a bach to do something else and don't want to frick with math.
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
Phd and masters in bio are basically worthless. If you want to make money, it's basically doctor or nothing.
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
I mean kind of true? There are a lot of weird niche bio-related jobs for industries I didn't even think to look at that pay handsomely but at a certain point you hit a wall and are forced into corporate management or director level positions which at that point you're not really using your degree, you're just a glorified people handler that knows all the names of the muscles in your hand.
It is amusing though how many people I went to school with thought they'd be studying grass in antarctica or saving the bees or some shit right out of school. Like, no b-word, your butt is taking lizards to elementary schools so the kids can pet them and you're getting paid 13 dollars an hour to do it.
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
That's where my step is probably going to be. Right now I run a lab, I have techs that do the dirty work. I also really lucked out where I am at and my circumstances are definitely the exception and not the rule. But there were definitely kids who thought they were going to study turtles or some bullshit, no, you're gonna run pcr tests on dogfood for $16/hr 60hr/week, and if you don't like it, tough shit.
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
More options
Context
More options
Context
In Brazil (and South American countries for the matter) pre-med doesn't exist and you just go straight to med-school which is longer (6 years in Brazil or a minimum of 7200 hours) if you wanna become a doctor.
So people here who study biology and chemistry do it because they want said degrees.
Most biochem graduates (undergrads in the US) will work on healthcare doing clinical analysis. If they do a post-grad then they can work on academia, I'm not sure about the requisites for industry.
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
That's what most in the US do to. You typically have to get an MLT certificate if you want to do medical. The pay is better, but not amazing. The hours and the environment are brutal and there's rarely any room for advancement.
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
Do you also live in middle America?
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
Ironically yes. But good luck waltzing into RTP with your BS in genetics and getting more than $60k in a HCOL area.
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
More options
Context
More options
Context
Your best chance here as a biochem if you're not on Big-pharma or some large industry is to open your own lab in a small or mid-sized city but that requires a certain investment as lab equipment ain't cheap.
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
More options
Context
More options
Context
There's 3 chemistry "majors" in Brazil.
They differ in which attributions your state's chemist counsel grant you
Lincenciatura which grants you the license to teach public HS, Bacharel/bachelor's which grant you most of the atributions and I forgot the last one name, but it's Industrial or Technological something like that that grant you all the possible attributions.
Since I wanted to go into academia I never really cared about industry jobs nor looked around but it's usually some sort of boring lab tech that makes you want to keep yourself safe like the bio OP.
It's not a horrible path compared to the average
wagie but it's not particulaly good either. With only a bachelor's degree a really good job pretty much is only possible through a concurso I think.
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
Esqueci que tem bacharelado em quΓmica, entΓ£o a licenciatura Γ© sΓ³ pra ser professor de ensino mΓ©dio? Lol
Que tΓ£o necessΓ‘rio Γ© o doutorado pra trabalhar como quΓmico no Γ’mbito acadΓͺmico?
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
Se vocΓͺ quiser trabalhar numa universidade boa Γ© basicamente obrigatΓ³rio. Nosso departamento os professores eram 100% doutores.
Em universidades menores dΓ‘ pra tentar se virar com um mestrado.
A grade da licenciatura tem menos quΓmica pra acomodar as matΓ©rias de pedagogia. O final dos cursos Γ© diferente tambΓ©m.
Licenciatura Γ© estΓ‘gio em escola, bacharel Γ© TCC e tecnolΓ³gico Γ© estΓ‘gio em empresa.
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
Eu quiz dizer os pesquisadores em geral, nΓ£o sΓ³ os professores, mas faz sentido que todos sejam doutores. VocΓͺ terminou o doutorado?
UΓ©, faz pouco eu vi na matriz da UNILA que Γ© uma federal que eles incluem TCC na licenciatura
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
Acho que em geral nΓ£o existem "pesquisadores" nas universidades publicas brasileiras. Todo mundo Γ© necessariamente professor e a maioria faz pesquisa tambΓ©m. Eu tava terminando meu mestrado quando os chineses decidiram comer morcegos e destruir a minha vida.
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
More options
Context
More options
Context
More options
Context
More options
Context
More options
Context
More options
Context
More options
Context
Dis neighbor forgot pharma was a thing
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
More options
Context
More options
Context
The only reason I could think of is they started doing their bio labs and for some super neurodivergent reason, they just loved doing the menial work and making graphs and running tests and taking intricate notes. Even then, surely you could find someway to make more than 45k a year. That's embarrassing
Putting the
in
spookieturkeyJump in the discussion.
No email address required.
Entry level should be around 55k. 45k seems impossiblely low unless he's literally a lab tech
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
45k is standard for entry level tech.
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
More options
Context
tbh 45k-50k is a common entry even in HCOL areas like Boston, although that was before COVID. if you're doing research with a college, it's more like 36k. field is just that saturated and there are plenty of people who will take the low pay for a year or two while they work on getting into med school.
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
More options
Context
More options
Context
More options
Context
darn bio is dark
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
More options
Context
More options
Context
I just live off temp gov positions paying 5k a month that only last like 3-4 months
I hate my job at school its so terrible and my classes are actually terrible just had a stats class with the question on a test
"what is the z score for 90% confidence?"
A. 1.64
B. 1.96
C. 0.5
D. 1.65
I put 1.65 as the answer is 1.645 and got it wrong. Then i had to spend 10 minutes explaining to the TAs how rounding worked until i then went to the professor who gave me the points back
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
!mathematics
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
More options
Context
Goddarn that is frustrating just to read about
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
More options
Context
I forgot all the stats I picked up and now I just tell lies on the internet
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
More options
Context
More options
Context
Biology, ironically, is filled with young women. However the people who thrive in high throughput lab jobs are generally young men who's only hobbies are videogames and drinking alone. It's a tough field and you're never going to make money because the job is all expense. There's a high burnout rate too. There's no incentive to change because the colleges dump out a new crop every year, so if you leave, no worries we can get another body pretty easy. I think a chunk of this lies in academia, they tell these kids their gonna make $100k starting plating E. coli, but in reality, you will be a rat and tend to the machine because you have 1000 tests to run. I talked to our third party recruiter about this last time I had an opening. The internal candidates wanted supervisor money. No, you're 22 with 6 months of machine tending, you aren't worth $25/hr.
t. Labcel of 15 years
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
I couldn't disagree more, at least if you're hiring young people. Young moids are fricking worthless and can't even be trusted to manage a lab notebook
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
You're right if the lab is not automated/high throughput. My lab is paper traced and my My team is almost exclusively young women with one guy. All the men I've hired with the exception of two have been garbage. But when I worked in a high throughput labs where everything was basically barcodes and scanners, young men were the only ones who were dejected enough to stick around. I think the worst people on the planet are 23 year old moids who went to college.
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
Yeah, fair, all my experience so far is non-automated labs, so that's my perspective.
That does sound truly awful lol
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
It is, but I thrived in that environment at the time. Couldn't do it now. But it gave me the experience to do what I'm doing today. My team rules, they have an esprit de corps like no other in the facility. So we're in a good spot now.
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
More options
Context
More options
Context
More options
Context
More options
Context
A lot of universities lie like crazy about prospects to get you and keep you in the program.
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
If you're not a total neurodivergent you can do lab equipment sales and other similar stuff. That kind of job boosts biology grad earnings beyond pipette b-word
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
More options
Context
Definitely, however I did have an advisor in college who told me I was going to be a worker bee. For the most part I had some idea what I was getting into. Lots of kids don't.
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
More options
Context
More options
Context
Everyone has to be the spectroscopy bword at some point starting out
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
I should be a supervisor making $200k right out of school with my BS in gen bio.
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
Final blackpill is starting a "bespoke" lab that sells "BIO-HACKING BRO" test kits for hipsters.
(Seriously considering this tbqh 
)
https://www.the-odin.com/ge-yeast/
!chemistry !chuds
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
I just want of you labcels to finally leak some of them bio-engineered yeast that produces Psilocybin
Come on bros, all I need is enough for a starter!
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
More options
Context
More options
Context
More options
Context
More options
Context
I suppose I, too, shall eventually end up on this path in my Bach in Biochem...
...eh, I'm at peace with it tho lol. Will probably only stick with quality assurance and/or pharm tech (gonna try to get certified the moment I graduate) for a while before pursuing postgrad or something...my chem professors understood this too, and were fine with it, but my pops wants me to aim higher (naturally)...hopefully I can...
...either way, at least I do not intend to go the way of a certain rdrama user anytime along that path...
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
Lol i forgot about this angle. My parents will be so depressed for me when they find out ill be going from high paying internships on high profile projects to making 15$ an hour pipetting stuff and running illumnia machines. It took alot of teeth pulling to convince them i had a future in research because I didn't wanna be a doctor. In all honesty i dont have the work ethic for med school and my gre math section was legit abysmal (49% percentile). For my on paper iq level im a fricking r-slur at math and i cant speak English right.
This is even assuming im on the light path of making 15 an hour for lab work and not 15 an hour at starbucks. Im the oldest child i cannot be the failson who works at fast food or retail his whole life.
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
More options
Context
More options
Context
More options
Context
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
More options
Context
There are so many pharm, chemical, and medical device companies paying 60k+ to literally anyone who can show up and push a pipette. This is an unemployable redditor problem not a bio job market one
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
Yeah, most labs are in constant turnover at the analyst level
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
More options
Context
More options
Context
Supply and demand will never be in your favour when getting a degree is so heavily state subsidised. Unionise or switch careers.
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
Switch careers is the only option. There's a neverending flow of 22 year olds who just graduated that can take the place if they unionize
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
Forgetting the third option, demand the government forgive your loans and pumps stimulus to save you on twitter.
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
More options
Context
More options
Context
Wonder how many lab rats are unionized, probably pretty few. I know my current employment was at some point, but they broke the union like 10 yrs ago
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
More options
Context
More options
Context
Congratulations to the
Class of 2025future suicide/overdose statistics.Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
More options
Context
I only have a Bachelor's in Biochem, but I've been able to to get into Quality management to make a career of it.
I do feel pretty bad for most people on a similar level of education. If you're working in a lab at all, you're probably capped at around 80-90k income
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
More options
Context
Tfw you couldn't even get into a Caribbean med school
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
More options
Context
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
More options
Context
Would it make me r-slurred to go for a pure math PhD? Seeing shit like this has already got me really down.
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
Pure math phd pigeonholes you to academia forever, be careful
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
Not necessarily. I did it and then went to law school.
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
More options
Context
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
You can still escape by pivoting to "codecel specializing in the math that other code monkeys didn't want to learn" and salvage a good wage
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
I thought all the codecel jobs dried up
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
Yes but advanced codeceling is still needed and regular codecels don't know maths
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
More options
Context
More options
Context
Code monkey jobs died but that's just because shit tier code got outsourced to sexy Indian dudes. For jobs where you actually need to know what you're doing, the market still exists
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
More options
Context
More options
Context
More options
Context
More options
Context
More options
Context
Pure math is a very different field, don't mathcels make on average much more money than chemists and biologists in the US?
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
All the mathcels who excel either become actuaries for insurance, finance algo wizards or get in with the gambling giants to calculate betting odds.
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
More options
Context
More options
Context
Plenty of pure maths PhDs in investment funds, if you can be bothered doing a CFA
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
More options
Context
More options
Context
BIPOC just get into a good industry, I'm a labcel in the oil sector and I get paid well
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
More options
Context
Why is there over half a million of them WTF
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
There's a lot of grad students that ask questions or vent about their boss/other students. Everyone is miserable in academia.
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
More options
Context
More options
Context
What the frick? There's a massive shortage of people doing molbio lab work, especially in industry. Does this guy live in the boonies?
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
Lemme translate to redditor:
The business owners are not able to find enough workers and are unwilling to raise wages to the level where people will be willing to work to fill those vacancies.
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
Doubt anyone will be enamoured at a 56-60k starting salary, but if someone chose to get a chemistry/biology degree, idk what they expected
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
More options
Context
But industry pays much better than academia and the hours are better as well.
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
people are r-slurred?
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
More options
Context
More options
Context
More options
Context
More options
Context
I know people like this. I'm so glad that even though I was r-slurred at 18, I was still smart enough to choose a major that had good career prospects and didn't require anything past a bachelor's
Not interested in a few years of sunk cost fallacy before switching careers at 30
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
More options
Context
I make pretty good money with a bio degree
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
More options
Context
They're not wrong, lol. Experimental bio jobs pay like shit. If you want to make a career out of it then you need to get a PhD, get on the grant writing grindset, and you're still going to be overworked and underpaid relative to your effort and qualifications (oh yeah and also you're going to need to hire other underpaid suckers to do all the fun experimental part of the research because you always need more funding and if you have the grant-writing gift/scientific vision then it only makes sense to min-max as a grant getter).
Lab monkeys either move up or burn out and find a less satisfying career that at least pays better. There's no good ending if you just enjoy running experiments.
Sad but true
.
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
Either take you low pay or go to med school if you're a burger.
!medicine !ifrickinglovescience do you guys think there are any real doctors on rdrama?
I certainly hope not for the public well-being.
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
Medicine is for gay sellouts. Real biostrags do it for the love of the science.
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
More options
Context
More options
Context
Simple as. Start in the lab at the bench, then sell out and get into project management for smaller programs. Then show that you're not r-slurred and then become a specialist within a program management office under a more advanced PM.
Boss around the eggheads (and get paid more than them) who went too grad school simply because you're more likeable and capable of leading other humans, and you are able too see interfaces between phases of accomplishing a goal, and they're literal neurodivergents who just want too hide in a box.
!ifrickinglovescience
Trans lives matter.
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
I said that
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
Yeah but the way Δ« said it was more charismatic and likeable
Trans lives matter
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
Oh I'm sorry, was I too real and edgy for you, Mr. Manager?
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
Oh no, Δͺ don't weild actual power. Δͺ just draw attention away from it.
Trans lives matter
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
Sometimes it really be like that.
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
More options
Context
More options
Context
More options
Context
More options
Context
More options
Context
More options
Context
If I was a biologist I would just endorse my own supplement shop as a biologist with a PhD or whatever and get a bag
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
More options
Context
More options
Context
God darn. You can make working at costco. Heck you can make that shoveling shit when Mexicans are out of season
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
More options
Context
Snapshots:
https://old.reddit.com/r/labrats/comments/15t7gcm/getting_a_biology_degree_was_the_worst_mistake_of/:
undelete.pullpush.io
ghostarchive.org
archive.org
archive.ph (click to archive)
https://old.reddit.com/r/labrats/comments/xvervj/a_single_tweet_explaining_in_full_why_im_leaving/:
undelete.pullpush.io
ghostarchive.org
archive.org
archive.ph (click to archive)
https://old.reddit.com/r/labrats/comments/11rgqi2/i_will_not_defend_my_phd/:
undelete.pullpush.io
ghostarchive.org
archive.org
archive.ph (click to archive)
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
More options
Context
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
Academic biology research jobs with a masters degree gets you paid less than a McDonald's general manager. They assume you're there for the passion. There's a reason I sold out and went into industry lmao
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
More options
Context
More options
Context
They give me bio associates without ever taking a college bio class. based solely on AP test. I realized it was BS right there and never even bothered to go on to 4 year
So I'm a tradeoid Frick it
I can live wherever
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
More options
Context