bassistx said:
Anyone with a degree will almost certainly get a job, doesn't matter what it is (the degree, I mean). UTS says over 80% of people who study science get a job.
No comment about the 80% statistic, but what kind of jobs were they referring to? You do not want to spend 3 years completing a BSc and only to find yourself stacking shelves at KMart. A straight BSc is not a degree that specifically qualifies you for anything in particular.
A BSc (Hons), on the other hand, makes a huge difference. Generally speaking, completing honours will open up job opportunities in your chosen major(s), although not much else.
Another point worth making is that a BSc (or BA, or most other bachelor degrees) completed with stellar marks (HD and D) may open some job opportunities in consultancy or government positions. But these positions are usually more about what kind of marks you have, rather than what bachelors degree you have.
Survivor39 said:
For those not interested in a PhD, a science degree with first class honours will get you a job as a research assistant at a good lab/hospital.
Generally speaking RAs have a relatively low ceiling for advancement and salary. The only real way to advance in science is to complete a PhD and then it's off to do a postdoc or two, then generally a career in university academia/research or in the private sector, both of which are great careers but hard to find in a competitive field.
I am speaking in relation to, say, a BComm graduate who is immediately eligible to apply for a job in a Big Four or any other number of reputable financial firms and then rise through the ranks to a very high paying job over the years (higher than a most PhD graduates would make after the same period of time, after spending so many more years as a student).
Or say, a BA graduate with a political science major who could go into government and advance up the ladder without the kind of academic restrictions that a BSc graduate would have (ie. an RA who cannot advance without first completing a PhD).
The same goes for BEng graduates, LLB graduates, BArch etc.
