Student undertkaing science study at university level next year here. Can anyone offer some advice on what a good field of science to study might be? My aims are to secure a vocation that will make me in high demand and have good earning capasity.

Any ideas?

Thanks..

well ovwer here in NZ highschool chemistry teachers seem to be in demand, but i wolud go with somenthing practical to construction, practical stuff like that is pretty universal and will give you a good choice of areas to find a job

Engineering is likely to be more profitable in an economic sense than science. But I would recommend studying what you find most interesting. This is what you will be best at, and your long term earning potential will correlate closely with what you are best at. And if that doesn't work out at least you will have enjoyed yourself.

stem cell research is hot these days, learn some biotechnology

Anything dealing in the medical field will be a safe place to learn.

I'd recommend you do something you enjoy, lectures are bad enough when you're actually interested in the material, not to mention easier to revise for exams. However, if you're still financially motivated, then a combination of biotechnology/management would be a good idea - my mother's boss started a company organising clinical trials for drugs, and now earns around £500,000 a year.

The most profitable areas of science to be in are not studying it, they are being in charge of it. So, either you skip the science degree and utilise yoru native skills to work your way up in an investment firm or become a salesman, or else get into some form of biotechnology/ nanotechology. If you want to maximise personal income, you should then either show yourself a genius by inventing good stuff and making sure you have a good contract so you get money from it all, or else start running a lab and raising venture capital.

Essentially, you will need to specialise in a flexible manner in order to maximise your desirability as an employee.

yeah any medical or technological field will provide u w/ a nice cushy lifestyle. I'm planning to go into epidemiology and immunology. We'll need epidemiologists for the most part because there is always an outbreak of some sort (epidemic, pandemic, etc.), and immunology is a growing field as well. Allergy research and other immunological research will always be needed as well. Just stay on the pre-med or tech track in college and hopefully u'll find ur niche.

The most profitable areas of science to be in are not studying it, they are being in charge of it. So, either you skip the science degree and utilise yoru native skills to work your way up in an investment firm or become a salesman, or else get into some form of biotechnology/ nanotechology. If you want to maximise personal income, you should then either show yourself a genius by inventing good stuff and making sure you have a good contract so you get money from it all, or else start running a lab and raising venture capital.

Essentially, you will need to specialise in a flexible manner in order to maximise your desirability as an employee.

I'll take a different tack.

Don't look at the expected dollar payoff. If science is your bag, look around for something that really gets your interest. If it excites you, you'll do better because you'll work harder.

If you're just looking for money, rob a bank. If you don't succeed at that, at least you'll get free room and board for a while. :D

stem cell research is hot these days, learn some biotechnology

My kid brother has a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois in bioengineering, and he has been scrambling for employment for 10 years now, his wife has to work, he has no idea how he's going to pay for college for their four girls.

Biotech is not a ticket to ride.

Where the money is, is health care. The health care industry is wide open and booming, with occupations like pharmacist being able to write their own tickets.

awesome bishop. I also plan on going into epidemiology, and either working for the CDC, or for the army in USAMRIID. the movie "Outbreak" contributed a large part to my desire to work in such a field. :m:

Definitely Electrical Engineering

People who study science for money make me sick.

I'm taking software engineering in University right now. Even though the IT boom for programmers has really slowed down in the last few years programming is something I've always enjoyed doing.

Like most people here have said, I think the best field of science is the one that interests you the most. There are thousands of good science-related jobs out there in every field (out there... ie. they might not be in your back yard ;) ).

I see the study of science similar to that of philosophy - you need to combine it with something, such as engineering, for it to be productive as well as profitable.

awesome bishop. I also plan on going into epidemiology, and either working for the CDC, or for the army in USAMRIID. the movie "Outbreak" contributed a large part to my desire to work in such a field. :m:
yeah...seeing outbreak was also contributed to my interest as well as the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

going into science for money played a major part in the downfall of many of Micheal Crichton's charachters. in a perfect world, science interest and financial positioning wouldn't screw with each other. too bad nothing's perfect... follow your passion, guy

People who study science for money make me sick.

Welcome to capitalism. Do you find people who patent their inventions to get some money sick to?

yes, indeed, they are often sick.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4229689.stm