biology degree in uk

is it worth it to do a bio degree in the uk?
ive been researching stuff and discovered that bio is one of the most regretted degrees even though its a stem subject, is there really not that many jobs in the uk for biology graduates?

i thought people who graduate biology would usually go into labwork or research/data scientist stuff like that

Reply 1

zebby94

8

Original post by losteenager15

is it worth it to do a bio degree in the uk?
ive been researching stuff and discovered that bio is one of the most regretted degrees even though its a stem subject, is there really not that many jobs in the uk for biology graduates?

i thought people who graduate biology would usually go into labwork or research/data scientist stuff like that

You're not wrong my friend. I have many friends who have completed biology degree's and have 0 job prospects that relate to the degree. This is from my personal experience, there just isnt many jobs out there for this degree unfortunately ( from what i seen )

Reply 2

Scotney

20

Original post by losteenager15

is it worth it to do a bio degree in the uk?
ive been researching stuff and discovered that bio is one of the most regretted degrees even though its a stem subject, is there really not that many jobs in the uk for biology graduates?

i thought people who graduate biology would usually go into labwork or research/data scientist stuff like that

I would say that unless you want a career in academia and even that is fraught with difficulty it is a very difficult field to get into.For instance to be an ecologist you ideally would get a Masters and Phd then do a years unpaid internship and gain a driving licence before you would have any chance of getting a job.Lab work is there but not great pay and not great job progression.

Reply 3

OxFossil

19

My perspective is that it depends what you mean by "in the field". I'm not sure there's a big difference between new graduates in Biology and - say - Physics "in" those fields?

Many jobs are open to new graduates from any subject on the basis that graduates have demonstrated a level of academic ability and a work ethic that evidences the ability to do a range of "white collar" office-type work. Civil servants in Government departments like DEFRA tend to be selected on the basis of high academic achievement rather than subject specific knowledge, but a Biology degree won't hurt.

For most - if not all - STEM subject-specific careers, there are few opportunities in any directly relevant field without first doing a postgraduate qualification of some sort eg a PGCE, Masters or PhD

The single most common role that tends to appear in Job searches specific to Biology is "Ecologist". These posts are usually a very particular version of "Ecologist", meaning someone who carries out field surveys prior to road building or housing developments. Most of these people have a first degree in some Biology-related field, plus a postgraduate qualification in field surveying. It isn't well-paid in general, but there is a fair amount of short-term and seasonal work around, which suits some

For the more classic field biologist/nature reserves manager, a combination of a first degree in a biology related subject and practical estates management qualifications/experience would be ideal. EDIT: I should add that the RSPB does advertise for a lot of temporary wardens and/or visitor centre bods and here practical experience eg of people skills is important - and this need not be academic. For policy work (eg in an NGO), you'd probably need a Masters. The critical difference is having some understanding/experience of real-life policy. As @Scotney suggests, this may mean an internship (some are paid!) or volunteer work with a Wildlife Trust or similar before you get a realistic chance at a substantive role.

(edited 2 years ago)

Reply 4

medicphd

13

It really depends on what it is you want to do with the degree. Like with all STEM subjects if you want to go into academic research higher degrees will be needed, unless you want to work as a technician or lab assistant. But it opens a lot of doors, I know people on my degree went on to do medicine, PhDs, consulting, sales, teaching etc. The grad market is hard regardless of the degree (I have heard good things about computer science though), so there's going to be competition in all fields.

biology degree in uk

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