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Careers in Biotechnology and Bioscience |
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Many of the great advances of our age will come from the sciences. Recent breakthroughs in medicine, agriculture, environmental protection, and even computer sciences and industry have come directly from scientific research and its wide applications.
Phenomenal careers in science await those who are willing to prepare themselves. Whether it involves the lab, the manufacturing floor, the computer workstation, or even the great outdoors, biotechnology careers will boom in the coming years and decades.
The Science Secret
It seems that someone is always moaning about the state of “science education” in our schools. Their complaints may or may not be true. But do not let them hold you back! It is never too late to learn about science, if you are willing to apply yourself.
The key is to identify a specialty and inform yourself as completely as possible. Unlike your high school or college curriculum, which probably included such a vast array of science that confusion overrides fascination, you don’t need to be a specialist in every area of science. Just pick one. It might be biology. Chemistry. Agro-science. Plant science.
Just pick one, and learn all you can about it. Especially in the fast growing career areas we profile, what you know is the key indicator of your success. The more you know, the more you can do. The more you can do, the more chances you have for a great career in biotechnology and bioscience.
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New Opportunities in Biotechnology and Bioscience |
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In its new Career Voyages review of significant career opportunities for the future, the US government considers biotechnology an “emerging industry.” That’s great news for the young and the young at heart. It means that the entire industry is still shaping itself for the future, and the chances for ground floor opportunities will never be better.
Science and scientific research are at the core of any biotechnology company’s operations. Much like coding is at the heart of a software company’s success. However, just like every employee of Microsoft is not necessarily a code warrior, everyone involved with biotech will not necessarily be a white lab-coated scientist.
What is important, though, is that everyone who works in biotechnology will understand the concepts behind their company’s success. Just as everyone at Microsoft must understand software and computers, so everyone in a biotech company will need to have a sense of science, research and applications.
Within that framework, there are nearly limitless exciting possibilities for biotechnology careers. Some key functions include:
- Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products
- Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technicians and Technologists
- Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
- Biological Technicians
- Industrial Engineering Technicians
- Chemical Technicians
- Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
- Agricultural and Food Science Technicians
In each of these categories, the government estimates that a significant percentage of the careers in biotechnology will not require a college degree. The will all certainly require specialized training, but not necessarily a degree.
“You don’t have to be a genius”
If you think about “biotechnology” or see profiles of biotech companies, it can certainly seem like everyone involved with them is a PhD scientist or engineer. But that is simply not the case. For biotech companies to succeed, they need well-trained, innovative and quality-oriented people at every level.
And if you think about it, even if your ultimate objective is to lead a biotech company, in reality, while you need a degree, and probably an advanced degree or two, what better way to learn the industry and find your niche than to start now. Find a career area that fascinates you, learn all you can, and join the biotech revolution.
In fact, take a look at Bio.com’s Career Center. Put some of the key words in the job list above into their job search engine and take a look for yourself at the opportunities available out there.
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Skills You’ll Need for a Dream Career in Biotechnology and Bioscience |
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Success in any great career area requires specialized skills. That’s simply the way the world works today. All of the general and mundane work is done by computers. That’s great news for you, as it leaves only the exciting and innovative work, and biotech is a terrific area for exactly that.
To build your biotechnology skill muscles, you’ll need:
Specialized knowledge in an area of science.
We say specialized, because it is not important to become a scientific expert in every field. The idea is to select an area of science, begin to study it at an accessible level, then move into more and more specialized applications. For biotechnology, it makes the most sense to start with biology or chemistry, then work toward increasingly specialized sub-sections. We are living in the “age of the specialist,” so don’t be concerned if your studies take you into seemingly smaller and smaller niches. That’s where you’ll find the career of your dreams!
Knowledge about the procedures in the area of your interest (research, clinical testing, manufacturing, etc.)
You will be most in-demand as a biotechnology professional if you concentrate on the procedures that define various areas of the industry. Those include:
- Research and Development
- Quality Control and Assurance
- Manufacturing and Production
- Agriculture
- Bio-Processing
- Bioinformatics
Each of these areas represents a series of specialized procedures--actual, practical operations--that make up the sum of the biotechnology industry. Choose one (or more) and become well-versed and you will be on your way to a great biotechnology career.
Mathematical skills.
Don’t be afraid! This isn’t 8th grade math, or even college statistics. You’ll be surprised at how interesting and useful math becomes when you have an important application to make with it.
Also, unlike the dry, brutally boring and irrelevant “drill and kill” method you probably learned under in high school and even in college, there are many great ways to learn math today. Believe it or not, math really is fun!
Not only that, but let’s face it, if you have mathematical skills in our society, you will stand out and build tremendous value for your career in biotechnology. Just for learning a little math!
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Where to Get Training in Biotechnology and Bioscience |
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Generally speaking, there are always two ways to prepare for a great career: be-self-taught or go-to-school. Although it always seems the most difficult and treacherous, there are tremendous advantages to the be-self-taught method (and only a few disadvantages. It indicates that you are a self-starter. It indicates that you recognize your own role in making yourself everything you can be. And in our time of breathtaking change, it indicates that you realize you must keep learning in order to be successful.
Be self taught - Training “path” for a career in biotechnology.
Learn the basics:
We believe almost anything can be learned in an organized way, starting from the “Dummies”® level and moving up to world-class expertise. The idea is to break a highly sophisticated concept down into easily understood parts (the “Dummies”® products do this masterfully). The specialized parts usually start off “general” in nature, then move toward the specific.
In biotechnology and the biosciences, as we mentioned above, science is the basis (or “basic”) of all biotechnology. So pick one of the sciences (biology or chemistry make sense for biotech) and get up to speed.
Also, you’ll need to become familiar with the procedures we outlined above. You can learn them through study or observation. Or you can do as scientists have done for centuries: create your own experiments.
Finally, you do need math skills form the basis of all scientific applications. Hone your math skills.
Explore the applications
As you learn the basics, one great way to reinforce your learning--and make it a lot more intriguing--is to stay abreast of ways that people are using your new knowledge. To do this, you need an explorer’s spirit of adventure and curiosity.
In biotechnology, there are incredible resources available online to help you find applications. In fact, because the industry is so robust and changing so fast, you may find the sheer amount and variety of resources stunning! But don’t let that hold you back. Dive right in to:
Bio.com - An industry portal for biotechnology and pharmaceuticals. Contains a spectacular amount of information, news, and resources. Note that it also introduces several of the biotech specialties (Genomics, Proteomics, etc.)
Bio.org - An industry portal more focused on biotech
MassBio.org - The State of Massachusetts is a leader in developing and encouraging biotech. Its biotech council provides information about the industry, in-state and beyond.
BioManufacturing.org - The Northeast Biotech Manufacturing Council, focused on the Northeast US, but useful for any region
Find a “virtual mentor”
One often-overlooked strategy is to find and follow an expert’s work. In nearly every area of endeavor, there is someone who works in and also comments on the leading edge of their field. They write newsletters, publish blogs, show up at conferences, and generally distribute their expertise freely. You may or may not ever actually meet this person, but finding a “virtual mentor” can be a great way to learn and hone a career.
To find a virtual mentor, watch the Web sites and forums in your area of specialty. Your virtual mentor may or may not post or publish in those areas (in fact, probably not) but they will usually be mentioned and quoted by those who do.
In biotech and the biosciences, one place to seek out a virtual mentor might be the “Penn Biotech Group” a student-run biotech club at University of Pennsylvania http://www.pennbiotech.com/
Join the conversation
Most of our great ideas, industries and markets are really ongoing conversations. They represent the exchanges of ideas and the true advancements of knowledge of our times. Whether you are a “newbie” or an established professional in a new area of endeavor, don’t be intimidated: Join the conversation. Be polite. But be involved.
Post to the forums. Email the experts with your questions. Be persistent. Be sure to introduce yourself accurately (if you’re a novice, say so) and be sure to acknowledge the expertise of those around you (it’s both polite and smart!). And remember a conversation involves both talking and listening.
Get your hands and heart involved
There is nothing like practical experience. Nothing. If you are on the be-self-taught track, you will learn more and make more progress by getting experience--even if it seems like it is “tangential” (at a distance) from your objective. If you are even remotely involved with your industry, your experience will pay off, and it can almost always be parlayed into a better opportunity.
In biotech and the biosciences, review that list of procedures above, visit the biotech job boards and the biotech sections of the standard boards (Monster, Hot Jobs, Careerbuilder, et al). Explore opportunities to work and learn and contribute. Even if they’re not directly involved with biotech, get as close as you can. Be creative. It’s the key attribute of the new economy.
Climb out to “the edge”
As you learn more and more about your chosen field, you will find a growing body of people who share your knowledge. At first, it will seem like you are anazingly specialized. However, before long, you will encounter a surprising number of people and organizations who know what you know, and who do what you do.
Specialize. Find a niche. Work hard to uncover and exploit it. In your biotechnology career, if you are interested in research, get involved with a seemingly-obscure problem. If you are into agriculture or manufacturing or product development, keep seeking niches. They represent the real opportunities of our time.
We happen to believe that every emerging industry and discipline is shaped by information technology. There is, if you will, a “software angle” to every leading-edge job, career or industry. If you can find the “software angle” and learn to operate in it, your potential is nearly unlimited.
Find training and education programs
If you prefer a more formal education or training process, there are great resources available. To develop a biotech career path, you will most likely need to seek out a school or training program, such as:
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The Entrepreneurial Edge: Freelance and Self-Employment Options for Biotechnology and Bioscience |
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Although it seems that the biotechnology and bioscience industries are dominated by large scientific companies and conglomerates, freelance and self-employment opportunities abound.
As you become better acquainted and more experienced in the area, you will begin to see opportunities to join research projects, participate in studies and experiments, and operate as a free agent.
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