Want to relate my life with science, but don't want to work in the lab the whole time

[Gusti]

Hello everyone,

I'm quite close to finish my bachelor in biotechnologies and I'm thinking to do the same master, but the farther I go, the more I understand that I love it, but don't want to spend my whole life working on the bench with chemicals and getting not that exciting salary. I want to relate my life with biotech/science, are there any alternatives for people with science background? Maybe you felt the same way? Please share your experience and thoughts. Thanks in advance

[ajb]

What about teaching?

[dimreepr]

What about a PhD with a field aspect to the research, finding a new antibiotic is trending.

[Strange]

Without knowing what else interests you, it is hard to say but maybe: journalism, sales, teaching, charity work, marketing. Or go into a completely different field. Many of the skills you learn in education (research, thesis writing, etc) are transferable.

[Function]

It's never too late for an MD

 

Conflict of interest reported: huge bias

[Lyudmilascience]

have you tried asking for a raise, its a simple thing that might actually work.

[Function]

have you tried asking for a raise, its a simple thing that might actually work.

 

I don't think that's an appropriate solution; people could pay me millions of dollars, even billions, to be a manager or CEO or idk who makes that much of money, but I wouldn't do it because it simply won't give me any satisfaction. I don't believe that the cause of OP's doubts is of a financial kind, and if he doesn't see himself doing the job he does now for the rest of his life, giving him a raise simply won't solve the problem.

 

I, for instance, would take much pleasure in ajb's proposal of teaching: it's a bit of a dream of mine to, firstly, become an MD, specialize in neurosurgery and, if the odds (and funds) are in my favour, getting a PhD and finally, at the 'end' of the road, becoming a professor in neurosurgery: the last 2 years, as an undergraduate teaching assistant, I've learnt that I take much pleasure in teaching next generations about knowledge that I am supposed to have, to be given the responsibility to be part of their training to become a doctor themselves.

 

However, I wouldn't mind not getting a PhD, becoming a professor and 'just' performing neurosurgery as a staff member at the university hospital (which is a necessary condition for my clinical work later: I must be left time and space to perform research, in addition to my clinical work, which is just impossible in peripheral hospitals), though it'd be an absolute climactic finishing touch, giving even much more satisfaction.

 

Then again, I don't think I can relate much to the OP, since I could see myself performing clinical work all my life, and seeing teaching as a supreme addition only, but it's an idea that might just work for lots of people: many people consider teaching next generations very honourable and get much satisfaction from doing so.

 

And if that's not really your thing, it's your task to decide what could give you the same satisfaction as teaching would give me.

Edited August 2, 2016 by Function

[Sensei]

I'm quite close to finish my bachelor in biotechnologies and I'm thinking to do the same master, but the farther I go, the more I understand that I love it, but don't want to spend my whole life working on the bench with chemicals and getting not that exciting salary.

Somebody who bothers about money should not be scientists,

similarly, somebody who bothers about money should not be doctor,

(now there is plentiful young people "I want to become doctor, to be rich.." WTF?! It's wrong answer, wrong attitude)..

 

The main reason for somebody wanting to be a scientist, should be to find something unknown, discovery, or at least theory, and this way leave some trace of his/her existence in the history of human kind.

The main reason for somebody wanting to be a doctor, should be to help people, relieve their pain, save their life.

Desire of money is disgusting..

 

Nobody now asks, or bothers, whether some ancient time philosopher, had money to buy food everyday..

What bothers people is what legacy he/she leaved, in his/her papers.

 

Marie Curie Sklodowska and her husband didn't patent the ways to isolate unstable isotopes from Uranium ore

(and then she had to ask US government to give samples, after increase of price of Uranium/byproducts, because of worldwide demand for it

"In 1921, Marie was welcomed triumphantly when she toured the United States to raise funds for research on radium. Mrs. William Brown Meloney, after interviewing Marie, created a Marie Curie Radium Fund and raised money to buy radium, publicising her trip.[46][55] In 1921, US President Warren G. Harding received her at the White House to present her with the 1 gram of radium collected in the United States."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_Curie )

 

She, and her the whole family, received the greatest number of Nobel prize in the history.

 

I want to relate my life with biotech/science, are there any alternatives for people with science background? Maybe you felt the same way? Please share your experience and thoughts. Thanks in advance

Learn programming C/C++/C#, and write some program related to biotechnology/chemistry/science that you will sell to institutes..

Edited August 4, 2016 by Sensei

[Function]

Somebody who bothers about money should not be scientists,

similarly, somebody who bothers about money should not be doctor,

(now there is plentiful young people "I want to become doctor, to be rich.." WTF?! It's wrong answer, wrong attitude)..

 

The main reason for somebody wanting to be a scientist, should be to find something unknown, discovery, or at least theory, and this way leave some trace of his/her existence in the history of human kind.

The main reason for somebody wanting to be a doctor, should be to help people, relieve their pain, save their life.

Desire of money is disgusting..

 

Warning: most of my response is a rather personal opinion and I tend to wander off every now and then, most of it is just thoughts about things I say myself; a tree, that is.

 

Couldn't agree with you more; though my main reasons to go study medicine were interests in the physiology of our complex, vague yet most intriguing body, knowing the complex pathologies and be able to solve them, so yes, in a way, help people, however I find "helping people, saving lives" as youthful as "trying to make a difference in this world". Tbh, lots of human, sociable aspects medicine gives us, I've come to appreciate only after I began, now I couldn't imagine my life without it.

 

Yes, you'll make a difference; an unnoticeable one: we must not do everything in the expectation of making a huge difference to the world, of being special, of finding a cure against cancer, eg, but contributing in any way possible, is, indeed, very honourable. most of us will end up being someone unknown who lead another person to his prestigeous findings. So yes, in a way, we make a difference, but it will go by unnoticed. To me, that's quite regrettable. There'll be people here saying "who cares, as long as you and your family know that you've made an important contribution" ... Well, that doesn't add up when you're dead. Imagine this header: "Swiss team of oncologists find cure against (well idk what, let's pick) rectum carcinomas". Truth be told, they didn't. They contributed to it and happened to be the last contributers before it got 'finished' (is something ever finished?) and got all the honours.

 

Back to the point: if possible and given the chance, I'd love to work at the university hospital, affiliated to my university, later, even though university hospitals here are governmental and health workers are paid the least there; much less than in a peripheral, private hospital. But I wouldn't care: as long as I'm given the chance, time and space to perform research together with my clinical work, I'd be satisfied.

Perhaps a bit of biased 'love' for my future alma mater is involved, too.

 

Truth be told, in our year, you can really pick out the students doing medicine for the alleged prestige that comes with it, the students that would become doctors merely out of financial benifits, ...

Edited August 3, 2016 by Function

[rangerx]

I've always found field work to be more enjoyable, even adventurous.

 

Then I'm anxious to see the lab reports.

 

Win, win.

[Sensei]

Warning: most of my response is a rather personal opinion and I tend to wander off every now and then, most of it is just thoughts about things I say myself; a tree, that is.

 

 

 

Couldn't agree with you more; though my main reasons to go study medicine were interests in the physiology of our complex, vague yet most intriguing body, knowing the complex pathologies and be able to solve them, so yes, in a way, help people, however I find "helping people, saving lives" as youthful as "trying to make a difference in this world". Tbh, lots of human, sociable aspects medicine gives us, I've come to appreciate only after I began, now I couldn't imagine my life without it.

 

 

 

Yes, you'll make a difference; an unnoticeable one: we must not do everything in the expectation of making a huge difference to the world, of being special, of finding a cure against cancer, eg, but contributing in any way possible, is, indeed, very honourable. most of us will end up being someone unknown who lead another person to his prestigeous findings. So yes, in a way, we make a difference, but it will go by unnoticed. To me, that's quite regrettable. There'll be people here saying "who cares, as long as you and your family know that you've made an important contribution" ... Well, that doesn't add up when you're dead. Imagine this header: "Swiss team of oncologists find cure against (well idk what, let's pick) rectum carcinomas". Truth be told, they didn't. They contributed to it and happened to be the last contributers before it got 'finished' (is something ever finished?) and got all the honours.

 

 

 

Back to the point: if possible and given the chance, I'd love to work at the university hospital, affiliated to my university, later, even though university hospitals here are governmental and health workers are paid the least there; much less than in a peripheral, private hospital. But I wouldn't care: as long as I'm given the chance, time and space to perform research together with my clinical work, I'd be satisfied.

 

Perhaps a bit of biased 'love' for my future alma mater is involved, too.

 

 

 

Truth be told, in our year, you can really pick out the students doing medicine for the alleged prestige that comes with it, the students that would become doctors merely out of financial benifits, ...

If you would cure somebody, who is ancestor of f.e. Einstein or other scientist,

making tiny, tiny, ridiculous tiny movement, saving his/her life,

like some Italian young women who I met couple days ago,

she took snail from the road,

where he/she would be inevitably smashed by cars,

(I told her, I am taking 30+ such snails from road every time I go the road, after the rain),

but that snail, could be ancestor of entire new race of organisms,

living in the future world,

after III or IV or V world war...

She would become mother of the all living organisms in the future, by taking snail from road and putting on the grass,

and no one would remember her name...

Except me..

[Function]

and no one would remember her name...

Except me..

 

Fair enough, but from an individualistic point of view, I meant that it's better not to do a job with the thought of changing the world, making it a better place. One might end up disappointed, for the effects cannot be sensed (on short term).