Biology major job prospects?

[Rosiv]

TLDR: I want opinions on biology job prospects in the US, my academics are a bit above average, but i attend a poor state school due to lack of funds.
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I was a computer science major and flunked out, so now i am a biology major. I am going for a B.S in biology, and i attend a state school that is not known for it's academic vigor. Even so, i still want a degree, for employment without one would be hard, and i have a lot of federal loan debt. I was wondering if anyone here was a biology major in the US and had any general opinion on the job market. I have been looking through forums, and any general data i saw was not very welcoming. I have read that most research jobs or technician jobs require 1 year training and certification. There is always teaching, but i dont like high school, which is all i could teach with a B.S. sadly. There is grad school, but that requires a lot of money, and id need to get lucky with scholarships.
I just want to rid myself of this debt and get a job that is not retail and in something related to biology.

 

[renegade7]

TLDR: I want opinions on biology job prospects in the US, my academics are a bit above average, but i attend a poor state school due to lack of funds.

First, as long as it wasn't a diploma mill, where you went to school doesn't matter nearly as much as your references, your grades, and your work history.

The question is where you want to work. You could get an office job with relative ease. But if you want to work in biology, your only option is graduate school.

Graduate school is pricey on paper, but keep a few things in mind: most graduate students are funded and paid to teach. You'll have a closer relationship with your department faculty, and they'll be able to set you up with jobs at the school like tutoring or lab tech work. ALL grad students (myself included) are poor.

Have you considered petitioning for forgiveness for your failure in the CS program? If you're at a different school or different major, you may be able to have it wiped from your record if it was long enough ago or if you've shown genuine improvement.

 

[chiasmata]

I'm a biology grad, not in the US though, and I've had a few different jobs related to biology. I've worked in an actual science lab, behind the scenes in a museum, for the Department of Agriculture and now I work in a reference library on science related questions.

I'll say flat out that trying to get into academia/research is HARD. I wish I'd worked that out at your stage and not when I actually did (12 months into my PhD). Lab techs and researchers work crazy hours for relatively low pay and depending on the kind of lab, get little leave/time off (if you end up working anywhere with live animals you're screwed).

With your biology and computer science you'd be quite employable. Even businesses/government departments like science grads because they're taught to think analytically and to write in a down-to-earth way.

What job you get depends entirely on what you like. You could become a sales rep for a scientific instrument company, work for any number of government departments, work for an environmental contractor...

 

[Wasted]

I graduated with a BS in biology and the job opportunities directly working in the field were non-existent. I searched at labs or hospitals but no one wanted someone like me. Unfortunately a bachelor degree is too common nowadays to make you stand out from other people. As renegade stated your work experience will carry you farther than your degree. I suggest you pursue a MS/MA or PhD degree if you really want a job with a biology focus.