Increasing employment chances

[Peachycheescake]

Hello everyone, 
I just graduated with a B.Sc mainly studying biology in Canada . I would like to apply to some graduate programs, but I'm looking for programs that would give me a better chance in finding good-paying job options rather than mainstream life science graduate programs. I was thinking management, data science, stats,etc but I'm lost and I don't know which one to choose as I don't want to waste my money or my time. I have very limited computer science and stat background (one course in each) and zero background in management. 

I would like a job that has at least  70k-80k CAD salary 5-7 years after entry, relatively in high-demand, and lots of opportunities for growth. 

What do you guys think?  What degree would be beneficial to me? If you have specific program suggestions that would be awesome.

I would especially love to hear from Canadians as I plan to stay in Canada, but all information is welcome.

Thank you

 

[pyruvate]

Hello, your background sounds kinda similar to mine when I graduated! (Also in Canada and only took a few compsci classes). I did neurobio & biochem for my undergrad and I've been working in a neuroscience lab for the past ~3 years. However after the first 6 months in this lab I sorta transitioned into doing mostly data analysis so I learned a lot of "data science" along the way. For graduate programs you could apply to ones where you can learn more transferable skills (like programming). For example I think you're much more likely to learn programming or data science skills if you go for a neuroscience or bioinformatics programs instead of other fields like developmental biology (where you'll probably just spend 5 years pipetting).

See if you can work in a lab where you can learn more of these quantitative skills for a few years. There are also conferences like SciPy (highly recommend) where you can pickup introductory or more advanced skills at their workshops and interact with people & attend talks to get an idea of what's out there.

 

[Peachycheescake]

18 hours ago, pyruvate said:

Hello, your background sounds kinda similar to mine when I graduated! (Also in Canada and only took a few compsci classes). I did neurobio & biochem for my undergrad and I've been working in a neuroscience lab for the past ~3 years. However after the first 6 months in this lab I sorta transitioned into doing mostly data analysis so I learned a lot of "data science" along the way. For graduate programs you could apply to ones where you can learn more transferable skills (like programming). For example I think you're much more likely to learn programming or data science skills if you go for a neuroscience or bioinformatics programs instead of other fields like developmental biology (where you'll probably just spend 5 years pipetting).

See if you can work in a lab where you can learn more of these quantitative skills for a few years. There are also conferences like SciPy (highly recommend) where you can pickup introductory or more advanced skills at their workshops and interact with people & attend talks to get an idea of what's out there.

 

Thank you! This is exactly what I've been thinking! I love biology but I don't want to waste time pipetting or writing papers with no career in the future. 

I have been looking at some data science/data analysis master's programs, but I was not sure they would be the most beneficial to me since I have a biology-heavy background. Do you think these kinds of programs would be helpful for someone who needs to start from scratch?

 

[pyruvate]

I looked at data science master's programs in Canada some time ago but wasn't too satisfied with the coursework they offer since I had already learned much of it at my current job and I'm not really in a financial state where I can afford to go to school full-time without a stipend. I think the program at UBC takes people even if you only have a biology background, I think Waterloo also has a decent program too.

My advice on getting started would be to learn linear algebra (tons of courses online) and then this book https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/data-science-from/9781492041122/

[Peachycheescake]

7 hours ago, pyruvate said:

I looked at data science master's programs in Canada some time ago but wasn't too satisfied with the coursework they offer since I had already learned much of it at my current job and I'm not really in a financial state where I can afford to go to school full-time without a stipend. I think the program at UBC takes people even if you only have a biology background, I think Waterloo also has a decent program too.

My advice on getting started would be to learn linear algebra (tons of courses online) and then this book https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/data-science-from/9781492041122/

I will look into them thank you!