Molecular Medicine: Careers

[Pannu]

Hello all

I am about to start my masters degree in Molecular Medicine and I was wondering if anyone here can give me any insight on careers in Molecular biology in general. Where are the best places (in the UK) to apply after finishing the masters degree? Is the NHS good for molecular scienctists? How is the money? And so on. I appreciate any feedback. 

Thank you 

[keyesrussell]

It honestly depends whether you want to work in the lab or not. A rather depressing truth is that most lab researchers get paid a fraction of what they're worth, especially so within the Civil Service, where every expense is under political scrutiny.

An option you may want to consider is science policy. There's a Civil Service scheme for science graduates in particular that effectively trains you up for a career in advising the government on policies relating to that field. There's something similar in the NHS I believe, and it basically comes down to analysing the efficacy and effectiveness of various drugs and technologies and making judgements on that information and passing those judgements to the government. It makes better money than the lab researchers but I don't know exactly how much.

In the end it's largely dependent on what you want to do with your life. Although I will note that the NHS is very widely respected organisation and experience there will make you very valuable to any future employer going forward.