.

[Valjean]

.

[cameronp]

Well I'm a bit of an oddball here.

When I finished my BSc I spent a few years working. Now I'm back at uni for a bit of a change of direction: doing a postgraduate diploma to pick up a statistics major and some applied maths subjects, then planning to move on to an MSc (Statistics and Stochastic Processes). That's one of those weird "research training" courses that's kinda like honours but longer.

After that ... well, it's a long way away and there are a lot of possible choices, but I've been thinking of doing volunteer work overseas for a year before either getting a real job or doing a PhD.

[cameronp]

Were your marks absolutely amazing or something? What did you do?
What can I even do with a Bachelor of Science...? (Science teacher?)

I can't wait to stop studying and just go out into the real world... It might sound stupid but sometimes I imagine myself having gone to TAFE and become a sparky and still making a decent living instead of going to uni for another 5 years just to do electrical engineering

My marks were just average-good, not crazy-amazing (high 70s average). I worked as a programmer in the oil exploration industry, doing data visualisation. Getting that job was a classic example of "who you know is more important than what you know" - my job was never publicly advertised, I just happened to find out through a friend that the company he worked for was thinking of hiring someone, and emailed my CV to his boss. Most of the people where I worked had science degrees, mostly geologists and physicists but also some mathematicians, computer scientists, electronic engineers.

You don't necessarily have to take the most obvious or direct path through life to end up where you want to go. University is also a good opportunity to meet smart people who are involved with interesting stuff, and to find out how they got there.

[notveryasian]

Hey I just wanted to say that your idea of going straight to the workforce as quick as possible is a pretty decent option, studying isn't for everyone and lots of people out there are much better suited to applying their knowledge than listening to lecturers and completing exams.

As you're studying engineering you should keep a close eye on job prospects in the area, which is a dynamic and constantly changing sector.A masters degree in engineering offers many more opportunities than a degree at TAFE, so that is something else that should be considered.

[simpak]

99.999% PhD

[Phy124]

I don't know

[alondouek]

I will sleep for a decade

[Starlight]

I will sleep for a decade

You win.

[EspoirTron]

Eat, sleep, Rave, Mathematics, Running, repeat.

[pi]

Work in the field Although I feel I should get some research under my belt at some stage, although not sure about completing a degree for it.

[pi]

Can you get a joint MBBS/BMedSc from Monash by doing 1 extra year? Also what area of medicine are you looking at going into?

Yep I can, but I think I'd like to get some clinical experience first and pick a field so that my research can actually help me down the road haha. I'm liking a lot of things! Cardio, neuro, renal, endo all seem great! Not sure between adult med or paeds yet either, so many choices D: 99% sure not surgery, but with 17 weeks of surgery coming up for me who knows!

[chair]

Who was the other person who selected JD 

That'd be me

[mahler004]

Fairly sure I'll do the Honours >>> PhD route (either stay in Melbourne, go to ANU, or go overseas.)

[simpak]

That's one hell of a commitment! Judging by your marks in the various results threads I'm sure you'd blitz it though 

Haha thanks. I'm trying to commit to a pathway (I am the worst at decision making, absolute worst). I've applied to med this year (I didn't at the end of last year) but I'm not really sure I would ever accept an offer...I kind of applied just in case this year in Honours made me change my mind about research, because I didn't want to get to the end and regret not applying for medicine.  But with each day I come closer to making the decision that research is for me!

mahler004, as someone who was like absolutely convinced that going overseas for PhD was something I wanted to do until I ended up in my current lab and now I don't want to leave, interested also in hearing about your subject area of choice and where you might consider going if you do end up looking abroad for PhD?

[mahler004]

Which subject area are you in?

Biochemistry (specifically leaning towards protein chemistry/proteomics.)

mahler004, as someone who was like absolutely convinced that going overseas for PhD was something I wanted to do until I ended up in my current lab and now I don't want to leave, interested also in hearing about your subject area of choice and where you might consider going if you do end up looking abroad for PhD?

I'm really not sure. I'm starting a third year research project next semester - if that goes well, I'll do my honours with that group (I'm optimistic, but we'll see.) I've heard from others that it's important to move to a different group at some point - either at the end of Honours, or when you do a postdoc. It shows that you're able to up and move and acclimatise to a new group. I'm about to leave a group which I've spent the last year with - I can definitely see what you mean in wanting to say

ANU is listed because I've got family up there, and Canberra's a great city. Otherwise, I'd probably go to the states.

Anyway, I'll do honours and then we'll see. I did a UROP project which I enjoyed a lot (much more then I thought I would,) any first/second years reading this who are interested in biomedical research should definitely apply. Otherwise probably go into APS grad programs or the like.