Hi everyone,
I'm Jenny and am new to this forum. I've been struggling with what kind of program to apply for in molecular Biology that will have good career prospects.
Currently, I am working at a company that makes an in-vitro diagnostic device and my team and I are in charge of DNA synthesis and purification. While this job pays alright, it is does not require any critical thinking, is very repetitive and offers no opportunities for advancement. I have been here for a little over a year
I did 2 internships during undergrad (1 in Chemistry, 1 in Biology doing cell culture), but they were both short (<6 months).
My whole goal was to get research experience before applying for grad school, but I am finding that research positions do not value the position I currently have (it's basically a manufacturing job following an SOP). I have had several interviews with Northwestern, but I usually don't get past the initial phone interview. One of the major suggestions to getting into a research lab was to volunteer, but I could only ever do that on weekends as I have a full-time job and need to be able to pay my rent. Would PIs be interested in that little of a volunteer commitment?
I am wondering, for those currently in grad school and/or graduates, is a PhD program worth the time? Or would a Master's be better? If so, what fields in Biology are particularly promising for a job right out of school?
Kind of a long post, but any help would be much appreciated!
