What job opportunities are there in neuroscience?

[Kuciwalker]

Originally posted by Verto
Being adept at memorizing facets of a subject does not, IMO, mean you have a real talent for it.

IMHO.

Memory != memorization.

[Kontiki]

You're almost (but not quite) in university and you don't have your entire study and career path figured out yet? Man are you screwed!

[johncmcleod]

You're almost (but not quite) in university and you don't have your entire study and career path figured out yet? Man are you screwed!

Well say I go to a university and major in neuroscience like I plan, but there aren't any career opportunities, my undergraduate education will be pretty much a waste, I won't get that job with the state department (you have to major in something of their choice, like poli sci) and I don't know what I'd do, and I won't work a 9-5 white collar office job.

[Seeker]

Job opportunities?

time invested+jobs shortage+difficulty+cost+starting salary = SPEECH PATHOLOGY!

Plus you can move to and work right away in almost any major city!

I would do it in a heartbeat but the number of seats available is very low in Canada.

[Japher]

I'd have to be a university professor to make that my job though, right?

Hell no!

Think about how pharmaceutical companies are targeting depression and mind altering drugs with their SSRIs and they don't really know what is going on, for real. I think neurology has a place in the prescription medicine, pharma, and biotech industries, at least in the future if not now. Brain development will be very important as more biologics hit the market, and even more so once stem cell technology really takes off.

[DaShi]

Doing math and science all day isn't my dream job, I'd prefer to discuss ideas, but I'd much rather do math and science than work some white-collar business job, and hopefully it would be a more thinking-oriented than working-oriented type job, if that makes any sense. That's why I need to find something practical that I like, and I think that will have to be in the math and sciences.

Neuroscience is one thing that does interest me (though not as much as some of the liberal arts classes I listed that I want to take), probably because it deals meshes science with psychology, linguistics, and other aspects of the human mind, which I find very interesting. But more importantly, ever since I read Andrew Newberg and Gene Eugene D’Aquili's Why God Won't Go Away I have wanted to study the science of spirituality. I heard neurosicence is a growing field with job opportunities. It would be a perfect fit, so I am thinking that I might major in it when I get to college. I am not looking forward to the required basic biology and chemistry classes, but I don't think I'd have to take too many. When I read about neuroscience programs at colleges, it is described as an interdisciplinary program where you take biology, linguistics, math, philosophy, and pyschology. So I don't think I'd have to take too many classes I don't like.

Neuroscience is probably one of the most difficult subjects in the biological sciences. Not only will you need a lot of biochemistry and biology, but you will need a lot of math. A lot of math! Most work is biology is fairly light in math, neurology is the exception. Given that, you'll have to be prepared for a lot of work.

Now a BS in neuroscience is about as useful as a BS in any biological program, meaning not very much. If you want to do this kind of work: "So I want a job where I can think and not do tedious, monotonous work, and I want to work to mean something, not for it to be about making money for my company." you'll definitely need a PhD after several years of tedious and monotonous work. Then the best environment for you is a university. Companies care only about one thing: money. Sure, R&D wants new ideas, but if it doesn't bring in a profit, they don't want to hear it. Universities will give you more freedom with your ideas, provided that you've already proven yourself in the past.