[silent262]

Hello!

Firstly, I am a regular forum lurker, and am sorry that I do not participate more often!

I am entering the final semester of my Chemistry undergraduate degree and contemplating what to do from here.  My interest in chemistry is waning, not because I do not like chemistry, but because the future scares me.  I am currently working in an research laboratory (with a fantastic mentor, who has no reservations about giving me actual work to do), and am focusing on Organic Chemistry.  I am considering a masters as a no-brainer option, but I do not know if the Ph.D. is worth the time invested. Really, I am looking for advice, as this particular slump has come at a bad time (I am now looking at a maximum grade of A- in my only grad-during-Bs-course, and am very unmotivated to buckle down for the GRE).  Advice, feelings, further questions?

[Babcock_Hall]

There is a good deal to be said for obtaining a master's degree in terms of increased salary.  A PhD might or might not pay off in terms of money.  However, some jobs, such as teaching at a four year college or a university, require it.

[liebig]

Before you can decide whether a chemistry masters or PhD is what you want to do, you need to decide what your end goal is.  Do you want to work in industry or academia?  Do you want to be doing research or be a technician? 

[silent262]

To be honest, what I want at this point is some kind of hope for stability.  I am leaning towards industry, to answer your question.  I have worked for a bit over a year now under a professor in my university, and so far the experience has been alright, I just don't know if I want to be a bench chemist forever.   What I would really like, to be honest, is to not set down a long and hard path towards something that won't earn anything more than long hours, possible (likely?) unemployment and misery.  Maybe some of my problem is the shock from reading chemistry degree horror stories, but I do feel that I should pay them some attention.   While I have considered a complete career switch, I don't know if I am so willing to commit to that.  My previous undergraduate institution was gearing us towards a career in Forensic work, and I think I left that a little too hastily at this point.  Who knows, maybe I will complete the circle and wind up right back where is started.

[Babcock_Hall]

One university with which I am familiar is contemplating a kind of master's degree, in which one would do some course work in the business school.  You might look around for such a combined program.

[eazye1334]

One university with which I am familiar is contemplating a kind of master's degree, in which one would do some course work in the business school.  You might look around for such a combined program.

My Alma Mater, the Unviversity of Rochester, has started such a program. It's called TEAM, short for Technical Entrepreneurship and Management. It's an MS program that gives you a bit of both technical and business courses and is something quite different from the "normal" MS tracks.