Feel like I made the wrong decision... :(

So I just got a place to study biomed at one of the top ten universities, however, I have heard a lot of people bash the degree saying that there are no career prospects, low pay, hard to find a job etc

So now I’m thinking should I have gone and done optom instead?

I’m confused on what to do....
I like bio and maths btw

What interests you more? People who bash the degree tend to be the ones who expect to land a job straight after with no further study or haven't worked out what they want to do.

Ermmmm bio interests me more but I love numbers and solving equations etc....
Yh ur probably right there, I would ideally hope to land a job as soon as I graduate, I wouldn’t mind studying a year extra whilst working either

So I just got a place to study biomed at one of the top ten universities, however, I have heard a lot of people bash the degree saying that there are no career prospects, low pay, hard to find a job etc

So now I’m thinking should I have gone and done optom instead?

I’m confused on what to do....
I like bio and maths btw

So I just got a place to study biomed at one of the top ten universities, however, I have heard a lot of people bash the degree saying that there are no career prospects, low pay, hard to find a job etc

So now I’m thinking should I have gone and done optom instead?

I’m confused on what to do....
I like bio and maths btw

This might seem a very cliche statement but I believe there is always a scope in everything.If you do what you are doing with full interest and do whatever is required to be expert in the field, no one can stop you from succeeding. If still you think you don't wanna do it then make sure to give your 100% in that field you choose, you will be successful for sure.Lets prove them!!

In terms of progression, it is minimal with biomed, but pay is hardly low and jobs are certainly not hard to find - the NHS are screaming for them and big pharma companies love snapping up people with biomed degrees.

It all hinges on whether or not you do a placement year as part of your degree, because then you can complete your IBMS portfolio making you fully qualified upon graduation. It’s harder to get a job as a biomed if you don’t do a placement because labs want fully qualified staff. Even though there is a shortage - ridiculous, I know.

Yh I think the only issue with that is that I’m studying at warwick university which I so stupidly realised after accepting the course that it is not IBMS accredited so if I wanted to qualify I would have to do top up modules.

But tbh I wouldn’t mind working at a bank in finance/accounting sector or in a lab, I’m happy to do anything

You may already know this but FYI the accreditation is only needed if you plan to work in an NHS lab.

Oh I thought u need it to become a qualified biomedical scientist. So does that mean I can work within other companies (other than NHS) as a biomedical scientist?

Yup

Oh ok thanks 👍 how do u know so much about biomed if u don’t mind me asking ? Have u taken the degree???

My education profile is in my signature. I’ve worked in both academia and pharma and have taught on biomed and related degrees.

Oh ok, so do u mind if I ask one more question... from all the degrees you have taught which would u say gives the best career prospect and graduate job prospect etc ?? Which would u say is the most useful degree?

In terms of progression, it is minimal with biomed, but pay is hardly low and jobs are certainly not hard to find - the NHS are screaming for them and big pharma companies love snapping up people with biomed degrees.

It all hinges on whether or not you do a placement year as part of your degree, because then you can complete your IBMS portfolio making you fully qualified upon graduation. It’s harder to get a job as a biomed if you don’t do a placement because labs want fully qualified staff. Even though there is a shortage - ridiculous, I know.

'In terms of progression, it is minimal with biomed'. What do you mean by this? Do you mean in terms of progressing in the science field?

You may already know this but FYI the accreditation is only needed if you plan to work in an NHS lab.

I was looking at biomedical scientist jobs outside the NHS and they all wanted one with IBMS and HCPC qualified biomedical scientist... so can you tell me which companies exactly do not require one because it seems they all do ?