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Hi all,
I recently completed my science degree & am having trouble entering the workforce. In my degree, I have two biology-based majors & another biology-based minor. I expanded on one of the majors by doing Honours, which resulted in me achieving first class & a couple of papers in the publishing process with me as first author.
I’m applying to all the jobs in my Honours field & tailoring my resume & cover letter for each but no luck yet. I don’t have work experience in my field, which is making it more difficult, & I haven’t added the papers yet as I’m waiting for them to be officially published. As there a minimal jobs in my field in my location, I have stated I am willing to relocate. My graduation is in a couple of months so would it be better after that?
I’ve also began to look into PhD. programs & projects in my fields if the job search continues to be unsuccessful as I’m planning to do a PhD. anyway (though I was hoping to do it after gaining some work experience & taking a break from academia study).
Any advice? How was it like you all?
Thank you!
(I’m also not sure whether this should have the advice or career flair so let me know what you think & I’m happy to change it)
Edit 1: Should have stated I’m outside of the US
Edit 2: Thank you all for your treasure trove of advice & support/encouragement/kind words! Definitely taking it all on board.
What career path would you like to pursue? If you plan to become a working biologist, i.e., someone who conducts research in a laboratory, scientific institution, or medical/pharmaceutical company, you will eventually need to get a Ph.D. But a Ph.D is a big commitment, and that's not even talking about the academic job market, so I recommend you look at a broad range of options. I encourage you to apply as a research assistant, either for a professor at a university (lots of listings on uni sites, plus you can just cold call them), or for a PI = principal investigator at a national lab (such as NIH). This will give you experience in biological research and help you clarify whether you want to pursue that career. If you do, you'll have a good recommendation from your professor/PI for Ph.D programs.
However, there are other career paths available to you! I have had friends with a degree in biology/bioengineering go into the following fields: 1) consulting in the bio/pharma division of a company like BCG, 2) marketing for a medical devices company, 3) working in the tech division of a biomedical engineering startup, 4) data scientist analyzing clinical data. I do not believe any of these jobs requires a Ph.D. The recruiting manager may want to see a master's degree and certain classes or experience (e.g., with software they use), but that's much less of a time commitment for you. So broaden your horizons and explore! It's great coming out of undergrad with all these options open to you :).
I’m not actually sure so that’s why I want to take a break from studying. I’m definitely interested in research & data analysis & have actually been thinking about doing a Masters in my second major area to learn more skills in that field.
Check out master’s programs in biostatistics and/or data science! That’s very hot right now, and it will open doors to lots of other interesting opportunities.