okay gd, all this talk of school made me want to talk about mine, but i didn't feel like it was worth another thread of its own. i'm currently a junior in undergrad and have been thinking about what i want to do after i graduate. i know i could get an okay job with my bachelor's, but i want more. more education, more opportunities. i've looked into things and i think i have it down between two options: med school, or pursue a ph.d. in the biomedical sciences. if i were to do med school, i'm thinking i would do pathology. in the ph.d. program, i would start with an undifferentiated year and work under multiple researchers, and then choose my specialization from there (favoring immunology and microbial pathogenesis, but there are several that interest me and i have the year to see what i like best). there are advantages and disadvantages to both, so i'm a little torn.
med school
-would have to take out a ton of loans and be way in debt
-i currently don't have all the prereqs, so i would need to find time to do these. this might mean taking classes after i already have my bachelor's, so more debt (my scholarships only last 4 years)
-would make quite a bit of money
ph.d.
-if i were to get into this program, i would actually get paid to do it, ~25,000/yr plus health insurance, tuition covered (no debt)
-though i think i would enjoy being a pathologist, this seems a little more like me
-wouldn't make that much money
also, anyone know what the job market for scientists is like? how likely is it that i would get a job outside of a university (not that i have any problem working at one).