A Few Questions Regarding Researching

[Zaetus]

Hello all, I have recently been considering the various options I am interested in for my future occupation. I am currently a Biology major because it pretty much stems into my various interests.

 

I want to be a researcher. I participate in undergraduate researching to have a sense of what it is like. I love it. I love science.

 

I have been considering Virology a lot. I LOVE viruses; they fascinate me. I would love to research them.

 

My questions are:

 

1) Is Virology is suitable field? My cancer researching professor says it's actually a very good field as of late. (this is not involving salary, but more in terms of competition vs. job security).

 

2) Does pursuing a career in Virology close the doors for cancer researching and genetic engineering? Or do those two in particular revolve around a different specialty?

 

3) What benefits does becoming a Virology M.D. bring as oppose to just being a Virologist with a PhD? Do I have more resources as a MD? Do I still apply for grants to research? What major differences are there between the two besides the fact that one has to go to medical school?

 

Thank you in advance.

[CharonY]

Some general things you have to know is what type of research jobs are actually out there. A topic is not necessarily equivalent to a specific career path. Many research positions are academic, but you have to be clear that

a) competition is fierce and

b) if you succeed you may spend less time researching than you want to. Much of your time will be split between getting funds for your group, teaching and management of your group.

c) many aspects outside a specific research topic will decide whether you can land a job.

 

Trying to predict whether a particular area will land you a job is in my opinion meaningless. Virology is like any other topic/specialization, if you happen to work on a hot topic that gives you recognition, it may help you, but other than that it does not particularly enhance or reduce your chances for a career. And to reiterate, regardless what you are doing getting a job in research is very competitive and until you land a faculty job (which is nowadays even harder than it used to be) you will have little in terms of job security. This is pretty much independent of overall topic, unless it is a very exotic and under appreciated one.

 

For 1&2 it is safe to say that the precise research direction will mostly be dependent on which groups you join as grad student and later as postdoc, virology is pretty broad so it could have ties to cancer, but it is looking at it from a particular direction. Whether that is going to grantworthy depends on the specifics you are doing.

 

For 3, there are fewer MDs that pursue full-time research, and if they do it tends more often to be collaborative and clinical oriented (though it can vary from person to person). You will generally not have better resources (except potentially better access to patients and patient samples) and you will be dependent on external grants as anybody else. The type of institute will have a larger impact on what you have available rather than your title.