A student expressing general interest in "biology" is at the threshold of a bewildering array of career options. Training in biology prepares an individual for a very large number of occupations. Consider the following, which represent less than 1 0% of the identified occupational categories related to life science: agronomy, biophysics, developmental biology, environmental law, forensic entomology, forestry, genetic counseling, immunology, medical practice, molecular biology, neurobiology, secondary school teaching, systematics, veterinary medicine. Some of these deal exclusively with molecules and cells, others concern entire ecosystems; some involve daily interaction with dozens or hundreds of people, others can be done in complete isolation; some are narrowly specific, others require knowledge far beyond science.
Flexibility appears to be a key trait for anyone entering the job market in the future. While the educational requirements for most fields of biology and medicine tend toward specialization, the actual jobs developing for the next century
more...
