My Potential College Majors

My Potential College Majors:

Ever since I was little, the scientific world has intrigued me. To think that years and years and years ago, nothing was here. Much later, life blossomed. Over time we have evolved to the creatures we are today. Only recently have I wanted to enter a medical field, for the sake of job security. There are two majors that I have thought about studying in college. The two majors are biomedical engineering and kinesiology.

Biomedical engineering applies the concepts of engineering, medicine and biology into healthcare solutions. Biomedical engineers create prosthetic limbs, heart stents, MRI machines, equipment for micro-implants, and more. Biomedical engineering is an ancient study. German archeologists in 2000 found a 3,000 year old mummy from Thebes wearing a wooden prosthetic in place of a big toe. What I enjoy about this field of science is the large amount of benefits it allows. First, you get to work in science: a field bursting with new discoveries every day. Second, you are working with the most innovative technology. For example, Medtronics Health Company conducts stress tests on its heart stents with amazing machines. Over a span of ten years, these machines vibrate the heart stents the equivalent amount of beats your heart will get in an average lifetime. That is remarkable. Lastly, you get to help people. There is nothing in the world better than knowing you helped save someone’s life.

There are three primary jobs in the field of biomedical engineering. They are a pharmaceutical engineer, neural engineer, and a clinical engineer. In general biomedical engineering was named number one job by CNN Money. All these jobs offer many benefits.

Pharmaceutical engineers help manufacture and develop new drugs and medicine. I’m not very familiar with this job, so I researched more about it. Specifically, they work with technology to help create these biologics. This job also requires knowledge in chemical engineering. The average salary of a pharmaceutical engineer is about $67,000 after taxes. A great part about pharmaceutical engineering is it can be done from anywhere. As long as the technology is accessible, you can go on with research pretty much anywhere. Your discoveries can be shipped almost anywhere. As long as you deliver your work, the pay will be constant around the country. It takes about seven to eleven years in college to become a pharmaceutical engineer. Some can get jobs with just a Bachelor’s degree in biomedical or chemical engineering, but many receive a doctorate before advancing into the career world. Many pharmaceutical engineers are described as analytical and serious, even more than most scientists. There job does require attention to detail.

Neural engineers study the behaviors and diseases of the neural system in order to improve its properties. This can happen by repairing, replacing, and enhancing parts of the brain. The average pay of a neural engineer is $85,000 after taxes. The salary of a neural engineer varies greatly between the company, location, and experience. The higher up in position you are, the more you will be paid. The bigger the company or the bigger the city, the more you will be paid based on demand. It requires at least a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering, but most neural engineers go to graduate school, so in total it is about eight years in college. Neural engineers are very inquisitive people, always interested in understanding things. They are curious about the neural system for a living.

Clinical engineers work in the government and in hospitals helping to implement different technologies into the medical world. The average pay of a clinical engineer is about $72,000 after taxes. The location of a clinical engineer is critical in their amount of pay. The big cities with many big hospitals will publicize your technology, therefore raising your pay. Some students are able to get jobs in clinical engineering with just a Bachelor’s degree. Some decide to get a Masters or attend graduate school. The education of a clinical engineer can range from four to eight years in college. The personality of a clinical engineer must be social. They must collaborate with people to create and sell their technology in hospitals. Interaction is a huge part of clinical engineering.

The second major I’m interested in is kinesiology. I love helping people, and I have always been active. I can relate to people who have hurt themselves in the busy days of life or prioritize their health. Three jobs popular in kinesiology are a physical therapist, an athletic trainer, and a personal trainer.

A physical therapist creates programs for people to recover from an injury. The average pay of a physical therapist after taxes was about $88,000. Based off seniority and experience, people can make more or less than that figure. Where you live will affect your pay. Depending on how expensive it is to live somewhere, their pay will be affected. Physical therapists must have seven years of college under their belt; four in undergraduate school and three of physical therapy school at the graduate level. Physical therapists must be calm and determined. A recovery for a patient could take years. Getting impatient will just make the patient more frustrated.

An athletic trainer provides immediate attention to a patient right after they have hurt themselves. I’ve always been unfamiliar with the education needed to be an athletic trainer. Many athletic trainers are hired for sports teams to give players the health care they need. An athletic trainer can make a salary from $35,000 to $75,000 after taxes. An athletic trainer for the New York Giants will obviously make more than the athletic trainer for a high school team. Again, you also have to factor in where you live. How expensive your area is can affect you salary. It takes about four to six years to become an athletic trainer. Some just receive a Bachelor’s degree, but others receive a Master’s degree. The personality of an athletic trainer must be a quick thinker and compassionate. On the spot, they must come up with a diagnoses and whether someone should continue playing. Also, a person feels better when someone empathizes for them. An athletic trainer requires both these traits.

A personal trainer creates a program for a person based off their medical history to increase their health and fitness. The average pay of a personal trainer is about $39,182 after taxes. Personal trainers’ salaries vary dramatically based on location. Regions of the country are more fit and willing to exercise than others. A recent survey revealed that people exercise the most in the west coast. Also, wealthy people usually are the ones to put money towards a personal trainer. When you live in a wealthy town, more customers are expected. And again how expensive your area is will affect your pay. Personal trainers can either receive certification or academics and certification. Most personal trainers take four years of college for a Bachelor’s degree then receive certification to train people. Others just receive certification, but they are least likely to be hired against a personal trainer who went to college. A personal trainer must be responsible yet humorous. Weight lifting and cardiovascular exercise can hurt someone if they go beyond their limits. You must be wise about their amount of exercise because you still want to push them hard. Also, a personal trainer must make the experience somewhat fun in order for people to keep on exercising. By listening to what people want and helping them reach their goals, you will be a great personal trainer.

These two majors have great jobs with them. For both, my goal is to help people. Our world would be a better place if we each helped somebody. Hopefully, my careers in the future contribute to the welfare of mankind.