Students graduating with a degree in biology can advance their education through graduate school or pursue open job positions. For those who seek to find their first job, the market has animal health recruiters, executive search firms, and placement agencies ready to connect hiring companies with qualified students. Below are six top positions for a biology student.
1. Jobs from Animal Health Recruiters
Students of Biology can work as veterinary technicians, pharmaceutical sales representatives, animal massage therapists, farming, and agriculture. Other animal health jobs include wildlife rehabilitation, emergency vet technicians, animal nutritionists, and behaviorists.
Some jobs require a degree in specific fields like animal science, dairy science, and equine science. There are also jobs for students with particular certificates or completed courses, such as immunology, microbiology, anatomy, inorganic chemistry, and genetics.
Each major has unique career opportunities, so a wildlife biology degree student can become an aquatic biologist, fish and wildlife biologist, habitat biologist, or wildlife manager. Other positions include zoologist and conservation resource management biologist.
2. Jobs in Laboratory and Research
Biological technicians and biochemists are popular professionals who likely began as biology students. Becoming a laboratory assistant or biological technician appeals to many biology students since it involves applying techniques taught in biology major classes.
Lab technicians and biochemists can carry independent studies in schools, companies, or government institutions. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual salary is $45,860, with the top earners receiving $73,350, and the field’s projected growth rate is 7%.
Biochemists also earn $94,490, with some receiving more than $180,000 per year. Such are the incentives for becoming a lab technician or biochemist. Companies looking for biological technicians, biochemists, and chemical experts should consider hiring biology students.
3. Jobs in Health Education and Communication
Health educators and communication specialists are in high demand. A health communication specialist educates communities about public health concerns and infectious diseases. The specialist also educates target groups on healthy living and health management.
Health communication specialists and educators can start their careers with a bachelor’s degree, and the BSL estimates a median annual salary of $63,335. The bureau also projects health educator and communication specialist fields to grow by 11% between 2018 and 2028.
Healthcare companies and hospitals looking for health communication specialists and educators can hire biology students. The recruits can write journals and independent publications about nutrition, exercise, stress, and other scientific topics.
4. Jobs in Medical/Pharmaceutical Supply Sales
Studying biology provides the foundation for becoming a pharmaceutical sales representative. A medical product sales representative has many roles, including selling pharmaceuticals, IT products, and medical supplies to clinics, hospitals, and emergency centers.
Biology students can begin working in sales for drug and medical supply companies, hospital franchises, and health insurance providers. They know chemistry, anatomy, physiology, and technology and can easily explain how a new drug or product works.
BLS estimates the pharma sales representative field to grow by 2% between 2019 and 2029, and the median annual salary currently sits at $81,020. The 2% growth rate is slow, but students can advance to other fields like financial analyst and patent/intellectual property law.
Dependable Biology Students Recruiters
Working with recruiters can reduce the hassle of finding qualified and talented recruits for the job. Boaz Partners is a leading executive recruitment firm focusing on animal health and chemical recruitments. The firm’s focus is to find qualified company employees.