Franklin Said:

Can you help me with my possible career path?

We Answered:

Hi there! I'm actually a scientist in the biotech field, and I'll guarantee you that your job would never be boring. As a scientist, you are constantly on the move from room to room or bench to bench. Your work differs from day to day, and each experiment brings different results. For example, if you find something interesting on Monday, on Tuesday you may want to set up an experiment to either repeat your results or both repeat and expound on the data... So your assay evolves with time, and eventually you get enough data to put together a very nice picture. If it's good enough, you can publish and get your name in print....

Here's the down-side: As a scientist in an academic institute, you're so underpaid that the janitors will actually be making more than you sometimes.... Also, science can be very frustrating, since new and challenging assays have a tendency to fail. Working for a company can solve these problems... Companies are much more well-funded than academic labs, and thus you'll have all of the materials you need to have a a successful experiment. This means less failure. Also, you'll make so much more money in industry than you would in academia. I just made the transition a year ago, and I'm now making $24k/yr more than I was working in an academic setting last year at this time.

So how do you get into industry? First off, you need to pick a school with a good biology program-- by "good" I mean that you need to go to a school that's going to teach you about current industry techniques. Make sure you focus on molecular biology, cell biology and various types of physiology classes (immunology, endocrinology, neurobiology, etc), since those will prep you best for industry. Most industry these days is trying to do something with cells- so a good foundation in cell bio is especially important. Ecology, ethology, entomology -though they will no doubt be offered by any well-rounded bio program in the US- are quite worthless to you.

Also, industry can be hard to break into straight out of college... Don't be discouraged if you have to be a lab tech in an academic lab for a few years to get your hands-on lab skills up-to-par. Industry tends to favor those with a lot of experience rather than folks right out of college.

And finally, it's easier to find a suitable position at the BS/MS degree level. With a Ph.D., you're much more specialized and thus, though you will make more money, finding a position you fit into well can be significantly more difficult at such a higher level. Competition for jobs in industry is high at any degree level, so don't be afraid to start out in a smaller biotech and then move on to a large company. I currently work for the 3rd largest company in the world.

I hope you enjoy your career if you choose science!!! Best of luck!


PS: make sure you get to sample hands-on science as much as possible before deciding that it's the right career for you... Theoretical biology is not at all the same as the practical application... ie: You won't get a good feel of what it is to be a scientist unless you work in a lab. Doing your own experiments is actually much more challenging than learning about someone else's in biology class.

Tanya Said:

I need advice on what career path to take?

We Answered:

hey see www.moneyjobz.com
for this.
you'll see the links specificly about this on the left and the right side so you dont have to go and search everywhere
Source(s):
searched and visited personally.

Dwayne Said:

I am already 19 and have not choose a career path?

We Answered:

Don't worry about choosing a career path. I went to college straight out of high school, thinking that I knew what I wanted to do with my life. When I realized that I had been wrong, I quit college, 3 years and about $13,000 in loans later. I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up, yet, and I'm not all that worried about it. What matters most is doing something that you like to do and that pays enough to support you. When you are old & grey, would you rather look back & say "I earned a ton of money, but was miserable", or "I always had what I needed and was happy"? I think that it is impossible for anyone, at the age of 19, 18, 20, or.... to know what will make them happy in 5, 10, or 20 years. So quit worrying and go with what feels right to you at the time!