biology switch to business?

[M8]

i've got my genetics master degree, but i really don't want to follow the Phd in this subject, for the reasons that, for myself actually i'm not very interested in it, Second, based on the many surveys that the salary of Phd of biology is ranked as one of the lowest in a variety of subjects, further more after the graduation there would be several years of post-doctoral life waiting for you.

 

some of my friends told me that if you don't like it, change as soon as possible, it's better to change when it gets too late, and i do want have a Phd degree, but i'm confused about what to continue. So my question is that can i switch to some other subjects? how about switch to business? are there any good suggestions? by the way, actually my major is about bioinformatics, and what i did most was using computer language to analyze the data.

Edited December 13, 2009 by M8

[ajb]

If you have some mathematical and computing skills I would expect moving into business studies and finance would be possible. You mention bioinformatics, I do not know exactly what that involves. But it sounds mathematical enough for you to inquire into business etc.

 

The best thing to do is ask the prospective schools. I have no idea what a PhD in business would involve.

[CharonY]

I would put emphasize on the IT elements of your studies, and try that angle. There are companies in the biotech area (especially sequencing related) that hire bioinformatic masters for data analysis or software development. Especially the latter is still a somewhat good market.

If you know that you do not want to go the PhD route, then do not. Mathematics is not really an important factor in business, per se.

[M8]

yes, that's what i did for the past few years, sequence some organisms like a bacterium with 454 (my case), solid or solexa, assembly it and analyze the sequence. However, what do you think about the future of biology? why almost all the surveys consistently take the biology students as those with great difficulty in finding jobs, which very chills me.

[CharonY]

The hard part is that biology PhDs have strong competition from a lot of other disciplines (e.g. biochemistry, chemistry, pharmacology, medical sciences, bioengineering etc.), when it comes to jobs. In many cases the competition is better suited to industry needs, too. Biology is a bit too much of a jack-of-all-trades.

The thing you have to keep in mind is that you do not need to find a position doing precisely what you did. Companies expect you to learn as you go along. To leverage from your education as much as possible you can look for sequencing and sequencing related companies and next-gen is still hyped right now (though it is becoming more mainstream by the minute). Remember, however, that you are not bound to do precisely what you studied. Just use your education as the primer as most companies expect you to learn on-job anyway. Many biology students (and also PhDs) do not apply to certain jobs as they feel that they do not fulfill all criteria, but especially on the masters level a certain switch (e.g. towards a more IT related field) can be explainable. Just make sure to justify it properly and emphasize any strengths (e.g. programming abilities) that you may have gained.

I have an inkling what the future of biology will be, but I think it will be a lengthy essay. Also it of course depends on whether we are talking about biology in academia or in real jobs. In the latter biology always had problems, due to what I mentioned above (as well as a number of other issues).

Edited December 14, 2009 by CharonY

[M8]

I'm not for sure and just asking, if it's possible to switch to a totally new area for Phd, which has nothing to do with biology? has anybody done this before?

[ajb]

I'm not for sure and just asking, if it's possible to switch to a totally new area for Phd, which has nothing to do with biology? has anybody done this before?

 

It can be done. You would have to demonstrate to prospective supervisors that you are able to undertake the work. There maybe questions about funding requirements.

 

The best thing you can do is constact the schools/departments you are thinking of applying to.

[CharonY]

Theoretically it is possible. Ideally there should be some overlap, though. Mind you, the job chances do not necessarily improve by that. Fact is that getting a job is all about fit, of which your background is only one factor. If you are concerned about jobs, start searching for one right now. PhDs in other fields will not by default improve your chances.

[Genecks]

How about this.... why, M8, do you want to switch to business?

Of course, there is money in it...

But still... why?

 

The way I see it, it's a good idea to have something to fall back on. If you want to make knowledge of business your fall back, then that's ok with me. But I think you got into genetics, because you have an interest in the sciences. If it's about the money, then I think you might be able to find some other ways to apply your knowledge in the job market to get a stable job. Personally, I can see the entertainment in accounting, as I'm quite good at it. However, I would not want to make a career out of it. At the same time, however, I would do it to earn money. Yet I would still pursue my greater interests until a professional job is secured. That's what I continue to do. I didn't want to be certified in a nursing field, yet I am because it pays. I also underwent the training, because it didn't take too long. I could be paid about $2.00 more an hour if I decided to take a year to be an x-ray technician. I think the length is ridiculous and wish I could cram it into a summer session. Then again, it beats lifting people or the alternative basic job of lifting heavy objects for ~8 hours a day.

Edited December 22, 2009 by Genecks

[CharonY]

It should not be only about money but you also have to be realistic about getting a job. Interest is good and fine, but if you want an academic career, for instance, you should know that the competition for jobs is extremely fierce. Worse, in fact, than industrial positions. The reason is fairly simple, there is an overabundance of PhDs in academia in comparison to positions, which have pretty much stagnated in the last decades.

It is necessary to establish what line of business we are talking about (i.e. science vs. non-science jobs).

[M8]

Ok, I want to make it more specifically that:

A, my reasons for not continue with biology:

1, not interested, actually say I have no feeling of it. it would be struggling and suffering if continued with that.

2, something like CharonY said, "Biology is a bit too much of a jack-of-all-trades", and i don't like that way.

3, the job market of biology is not good, so far as i know. I know money is not everything but it's absolutely important.

(it’s a long story about why I learned genetics……..)

 

B, the reasons for getting Phd:

1, saying of "'glass ceiling'" in industry and I've read it somewhere in this forum, maybe "MBA vs PHD"? but i am not sure if it's true for non-life science industry.

2, i think i have time and energy to fullfill it before it's too late.

3, I want to get a Phd

 

 

C, the reasons for talking about business:

1, good job market

2, i think it's more about math and abstract stuff, to which i am interested and confident.

 

i don't know if i made it more clear or even more confusing, give me your opinions, tks.

[CharonY]

In a number of disciplines there is virtually not glass ceiling beyond the master's degree. It depends on the company, of course, and what paths they offer. It would be worthwhile to research it for companies you might be interested in working for. I recall that the chemical industry still prefers PhDs but more computational dependent areas are also happy to offer paths for master's, for instance.

You have to realize that a business degree itself is barely a job by itself, nor (similar to PhD) does it offer a job, unless you know the path you want to walk. Then you should check what you need to get there. At this moment it appears to me that you do the reverse.