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Ask the Guru a question.Career Choices
I am a junior in high school, and am starting to narrow down my college search and career search. I am thinking about going into medcine or pharmacy, or becoming a nurse anesthetist. I was wondering what is the average salary a person would receive staight out of college in these fields. I understand that money is not everything, but this would be helpful info, and with that in mind these are all studies that I am very interested in. Also, can you tell me what colleges in Ohio and Pennsylvania would be best for me for the fields in which I'm interested?
Your question is a tough one because each career requires you to do graduate work in order to become certified to practice. To become a nurse anesthetist, you’ll need to do some post-graduate work (http://www.allnursingschools.com/faqs/crna.php), just as you’ll need to earn a Doctor of Pharmacy to become a pharmacist (http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos079.htm#training). To become a doctor, you’ll need to attend medical school, which could take as long as eight years.
I don’t have specific statistics for the salaries of recent graduates in these fields, partly because a college education isn’t sufficient to become a doctor or nurse anesthetists. Of the professions you mention, you’ll probably make the most money as a doctor, depending on the type of medicine you practice and where you practice. However, you’ll have to account for the fact that you won’t start making money for several years. In fact, you’ll need to find a way to pay for medical school. If you have to take out loans, it may be a few years before you’re finished paying them back.
I don’t have specific statistics for the salaries of recent graduates in these fields, partly because a college education isn’t sufficient to become a doctor or nurse anesthetists. Of the professions you mention, you’ll probably make the most money as a doctor, depending on the type of medicine you practice and where you practice. However, you’ll have to account for the fact that you won’t start making money for several years. In fact, you’ll need to find a way to pay for medical school. If you have to take out loans, it may be a few years before you’re finished paying them back.Nurse anesthetists make an annual base salary of $90,000-$115,000 (http://forums.studentdoctor.net/archive/index.php/t-34470.html).
The average annual salary for a pharmacist is about $90,000-$100,000. However, like all of the other jobs, this varies depending on the company you work for and the location of your company (http://swz.salary.com/salarywizard/layouthtmls/swzl_compresult_national_HC07000011.html)There are dozens of schools in Ohio and Pennsylvania with good programs in the areas you’re interested in. To see a complete list, visit U.S. News & World Report’s College Finder (http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/tools/brief/cosearch_advanced_brief.php), which will come up with a list of relevant colleges when you select the states you want to attend college in as well as your desired area(s) of study. If you want to narrow down your options even more, you can include other criteria in your search.
Ultimately, of course, you should pick the career that you think you'll enjoy the most. You have plenty of time for that!
Good luck!
I am currently a sophomore in high school. I would like to either study civil engineering or meteorology. What are some of the best schools to attend in the tri-state area of Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia for each mayjor? Also what are a few good jobs you could get with each mayjor? Thanks