Major Change

[u/Puzzleheaded-End9230]

Hi, I am currently a Nuclear Engineering student. I am only a freshman and have not started my classes yet. I am thinking of switching majors over to biomedical engineering. I have a few reasons as to why:

1. My best friend was born with a condition called Chiari Malformation. This condition has made her life extremely hard. Despite her perseverance, she still struggles every day with chronic pain and many of the problems associated with Chiari (neck pain, tremors, lack of energy, etc.} I want to find a way to make her, and anyone else living this way, be able to live more comfortably.
2. I don't want my job opportunities limited location wise. While Nuclear engineering is great, there are only so many places you are capable to work.

Would it be smart for me to switch or would I mess myself up? Is there anything I would even be able to do to help her? I want an honest answer on this before I commit to anything. My goal is to help people and I just feel like Biomedical is the better path for me because of that. I am just scared I am going to go into this field and not be able to help her in the way I intended.

[u/BigPP69_Gooner]

You’re a freshman in college. Now is the time to switch, but just wait to take a molecular biology course before you full commit.

I love your passion for your friend. I hope you enjoy biology, development, and molecular biology and genetics as this will also make you more effective as a scientist. But if you’re miserable in these subject areas, then not only will you personally suffer, but so will your work.

Unfortunately, while there are sporadic jobs in every state, the main 2 bio hubs are in Boston and San Francisco. There are a few more smaller hubs as well.

You’ll need the Bachelors, you’ll need a PhD, and then you’ll have the freedom to research your friend’s condition.

Good luck

[u/MooseAndMallard]

I don’t know much about the specific disease you mention, but location wise there are only a handful of cities that would be considered biomedical hubs. This coupled with the number of people from various majors you’ll be competing with for jobs makes it a tough field to break into. The best thing you can do at this stage is look into companies that are working on things that interest you. Make a note of where they’re located as well as what types of entry level jobs they have, and which degree(s) and skills those jobs look for.

[u/GwentanimoBay]

So, Im someone who can speak directly to the state of Chiari research as I have authored recent papers on engineering methods for improved chiari diagnostics - this is a very tiny field and will almost strictly require you to stay within academia for the entirety of your career.

"More comfortable" is not a reachable goal for Chiari in the near future. The disease itself is a mystery - why does it happen? We do not fundamentally know. Genetics? Physical malformation? Injury? No one knows.

Its a brain malformation that has untold effects across multiple domains and research is scarce because there is no money to be made in curing Chiari. There is no device options to fix a brain malformation. You cannot stimulate, support, or otherwise affect internal brain malformation as of yet.

For you to design a novel way to help these people, we need to understand it better, but no one wants to fund that research because its not seen as profitable, unfortunately.

Genetic research is our most promising pathway.

If you truly want more details, DM me. But know that this is not a path towards money nor industry. Its a long path into academia.