Naked Science Forum
General Discussion & Feedback => Guest Book => Topic started by: TravisM1217 on 22/03/2005 00:28:42
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If anyone is in a science field, could you please answer these simple questions?
1. Description of career
2. Salary range
3. Advantages/ Disadvantages of the career
4. Job availability
5. Level of education required
6. Special requirements for training (certifications, internships)
7. Areas of industry/ market which employ this career
8. Why should someone chose this career.
"What has science ever done? Has science ever kissed a girl, won a football game, or gone to the moon?" Homer J. Simpson
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1. I am a biochemist. Biochemistry is the study of the structure, composition, and chemical reactions of substances in living systems. I work in a pharmaceutical company, and I help develop new medicines.
2. The average salary for biochemist when starting out is around 34,000 dollars.
3. Some advantages are biochemist can work in many areas of industry, and we can work with many brilliant scientists. One disadvantage is that we are improving people's lives, but often we don't get the credit we deserve. It is kind of thankless work.
4. There are plenty of jobs available. Biochemistry is an ever growing field.
5. To be a biochemist, you have to have at least a bachelors degree in biochemistry, or chemistry with special training in genetics, biophysics, molecular biology, cell biology, and biochemical methods. A bachelors degree in biology along with study of chemistry, physics, and mathematics along with a biochemistry class and lab work could be a base for a career in biochemistry also. To become a biochemistry teacher, you would need maybe a masters, probably a doctorate.
6. Universities offer one year programs for training in specialized laboratory techniques.
7. There are many industries for biochemistry. They include: pharmaceutical and drug companies, dentistry, veterinary medicine, food science, agriculture, physiology, microbiology, clinical chemistry, and toxicology.
8. If you want to be a biochemist, you want to be interested in origins of life, want to improve people's lives, be creative, hardworking, cooperative, imaginative communicative, and flexible.