Help!!!! Thoughts on Biological Sciences and future career

[Watermelon46]

Dc is year 13 and taking biology, chemistry and maths. (Predicted 3 x A*, 9x 9 at gcse and 1 x 8).

Has discounted medicine, veterinary and dentistry.

Is interested in Biology mainly, and thinks Biological sciences (Birmingham possibly) sounds interesting.

Does not have any idea what to do career wise long term but wants to have high earning potential.

Any thoughts on this course in particular and possible career once completed. Or any experience of other courses which would fit with these A levels?

tia

The world’s his oyster with those subjects and grades!
“Biology” is such a broad group of subjects. Does he have particular interests within that? There’s all sorts of courses from Environmental science, biomedical science, a general biological science / life science degree, biochemistry, microbiology. Then there’s health-related ones like pharmacy or public health. And more unusual subjects like biological computation.
If he wants a broad course, how about Natural Sciences at e.g. Cambridge or Durham. I did a broad-based biology degree because I didn’t want to specialise.
He should really have a look at the different types of courses online, and take a close look at the syllabus for each course. That might help him decide his direction.
Good luck to your DS, it’s an exciting time for him.

My first degree was in a bioscience subject, and PhD in a related field. I am a university lecturer, so have also done a postgraduate education qualification.

First point is, if he wants to make money then science itself - in the sense of academic, hands-on research or technical roles - isn't a sensible career option. He should be looking at consultancy opportunities and industrial research & development (R&D) pathways that lead to leadership/management roles. If that is his priority, it's worth looking at what degrees are most in demand for people following those pathways. The Association of British Pharmaceutical Industries has a fairly useful web site: www.abpi.org.uk/careers/.

Whichever route he wants to pursue, he will need at least one more degree after his BSc. For any research pathway he'll need a PhD, and it might be necessary to do an MSc to get there. For consultancy roles he's likely to need a PhD and a business qualification to advance quickly.

Have a look at the Royal Society of Biology website for guidance about choosing a suitable degree course and careers.
Dentistry, vet Science and medicine are possibly the highest earning careers that are directly linked to Biology.
With a Science degree and A level Maths careers in accountancy and finance are also possible as these require any degree.
Assume that the OPs son is not interested in Oxbridge despite the high grade predictions because they are already beyond the application deadline.
I would look at the MSci route with those grades.

He's left it a bit late to be thinking about it - or is he planning a gap year and apply next autumn?

But Bioscience is a great degree with lots of different avenues available. Some of which could be lucrative (pharma, patent attorney). Others not so lucrative but interesting and worthwhile (publicly funded research - guess which route my dc is going down!).

Can I recommend medical writing? My degree is in Biosciences and this is my career now. You can turn 6 figures (after years of experience) if you're smart about how you work.

Thanks for good advice, will look into the options with dc (dd).

Yes I feel they have left it a bit late too and have been gently advising looking into course / career options for over a year now.

Oxbridge has been declined due to dc being involved in sports to a high level and wanting training facilities on site, hence Birmingham (or Loughborough /Bath etc).

I wasn’t sure if Biological sciences was a watered down version of Biology or if it is better to keep a wide variety. Dc likes human, plant and animal, but less interested in Biochemistry.

As I did a vocational qualification, I am less familiar with career options after a general non-vocational degree.

How did you get into this?

Genetics
Mechanical engineering
Bio medical engineering
Physiotherapist
Microbiology
Marine biology
Conservation
Ecology
Environmental management
Food science
Zoology
Sport n fitness
Agriculture

I wasn’t sure if Biological sciences was a watered down version of Biology

The trouble with biology is that it's such a massive field: any degree course is only going to cover a small proportion of the subject. Students really need to look at the modules on offer at each university so they can see what bits of biology they will have an opportunity to study.

Biological sciences or biomedical sciences are great broad degrees. If he goes for BMS make sure it's an accredited course.

Loads of career options - lab based and non-lab based. Research/academic following a PhD, NHS or industry roles.

Any career down the regulatory path is very lucrative at the moment. Medical devices, in vitro diagnostics, advanced therapeutics etc. You can work in big companies, small companies, self employed consultant, universities, research councils etc.

Just seen you've said daughter now.

In that case, some serious consideration for flexibility in her family-raising years is something I will be very much impressing on my daughter. It's not a sell out to the patriarchy to plan for this. If she can spend the next 10 years building a solid career & reputation she will reap the rewards in terms of seniority and flexibility when she needs it. For example if her likely choices require shift work or lots of travel then get it done while she's young with an eye for moving into more senior management / regular hours in her 30s.

With those a level grades she is clearly a bright kid, exactly the kind of woman STEM roles need.

As you asked about earning potential,
I did roughly
BSc (3 yrs)
PhD (3 yrs)
FT work (6 yrs ish) - first job started on £30k, lots of travel & long hours
PT work (7 yrs ish) - similar roles but reduced time commitment. £50-70k FTE.
FT - from when my youngest was 7. I'll be 40 soon and my earning power is on the up again. I recently breached £100k & expect to double in 5-10 years. Despite this I have tons of flexibility and am very present at the school gates (which is important to me).

I know my years don't quite add up but there's some covid complexity in there with different working patterns 🤣

I did a Biology degree, similar A levels in biology, physics, maths and chemistry. No idea what I wanted to do once I’d finished it, ended up training as an accountant in industry rather than practice. A lot of my finance colleagues have non-vocational degrees in history, chemistry etc. Can be a lucrative career path.

Thanks that’s really helpful!

DD is hoping to do Zoology with a sub in Ecology, probably at Lancaster.

Chemical or biomechanical engineering

I wasn’t sure if Biological sciences was a watered down version of Biology or if it is better to keep a wide variety

They're the same thing

Thanks, I had no idea of this as I’d not heard of it before! 😂

Bioinfomatics !! Huge growth area.

Big Pharma? Very well paid

Consider York. Great sports facilities and their biology department has a great reputation.

I studied Biology and added an MBA. I worked as a management consultant in the pharma/biotech industry, then in strategy/ops focused roles in organisations related to science / tech. Pharma companies, or specialised providers (e.g. Medical Writing, Market Access, Regulatory) can offer well paid careers.

Thanks, what is this?

What types of role?

There are lots of roles in Pharmaceuticals. A good friend is very senior in cancer research. The money is massively more than you would get in university research.

There are also jobs in regulatory affairs and sales and marketing and lots more that I can't think of.

In terms of future career choice...there are lots of grad schemes in pharma - have a look at the GSK Future Leaders one. These can give you exposure to different functions over 2-3 years (helpful at such an early point in your working life) and you're also part of a cohort of young people all on the journey together - which is nice straight out of uni.