Biosciences--what are my options without a PhD?

[cj85kr]

Just hoping to get some feedback from current students and applicants. I graduated with a BS (bio major) in 2010 and since have been working full time while "figuring out" what I want to do next. I've always been an inquisitive person and have been working in a lab environment for over 4 years now, one of which was spent at the NIH.

I am currently in the process of applying to grad school (interdisciplinary bio PhD programs), and feel that I have a strong application, but my heart still isn't set on it. A PhD just seems like such a long, grueling ordeal from all of the horror stories that I have heard, but I feel that unless I want to spend my entire career as a tech performing menial benchwork, it's my only option. I don't think I want to become a PI or go the academia route, so I guess a PhD isn't "necessary," but I think that I'm quickly approaching a glass ceiling with just my BS. I'm not even sure that I want to be at the bench forever.

Anyone have any thoughts to share? What are my options without a PhD? What other doors will I open with a PhD outside of research?

[InquilineKea]

It depends on your connections, especially your Silicon Valley ones.

I know some people who are doing VERY respectable bioscience startup work (Laura Deming and Parijata Mackey), and they don't have PhDs.

Connections aren't always super-difficult to find - the anti-aging community, in particular, is extremely receptive to Facebook friend requests (in fact, we all send friend requests to each other when we don't know each other). The best thing to do right now might be to follow people like Parijata, James Clement, and Derya Unutmaz on Google+.

For some ideas, try looking up Peter Thiel's companies over at http://www.foundersfund.com/ - and maybe look for people to email there. Peter Thiel invests a lot in bioscience research, and is very skeptical about the value of higher education.

In any case - the "newer" the field, the less any "education" really matters. Synthetic Biology is probably one of the fields that is nicest to those without a PhD. And many people in aging research are unhappy with the current status quo in biology schools.

Edited October 5, 2011 by InquilineKea

[starmaker]

Around here (Boston area), there's a whole lot of biotech, and it includes plenty of non-PhD jobs. Silicon Valley...is a fine place, but not particularly a biotech hub - you want to look at Boston, DC, the Research Triangle in North Carolina, San Diego. Silicon Valley definitely has places, but not such a concentration of them.

If you're interested in synth bio, there's a startup in South Boston called Ginkgo Bioworks, that offers year-long, paid, synth bio internships.

If you're open to other kinds of work, you can become a patent agent with a bio degree.

[eco_env]

From my experience, even start up biotech companies prefer someone with at least an MS for the kinds of work that you are looking for (something more mentally stimulating).

[cj85kr]

Thank you for all of the feedback! I know there are some tech-level positions available at the baccalaureate level, but I wonder how easy they are to come by these days with the state of the economy. And moreover, even if I found one that I really liked, I wonder if I would still end up going back to school anyways just to be able to move up in the industry.

I know that I will have many more options holding a PhD, but I just can't help but cringe at the thought of being perpetually overworked, underpaid, and extremely stressed for 5-7 years. I know everyone's grad school experience is different, but it really doesn't ease my mind when all I've ever heard are horror stories

[BlueRose]

I've seen people make a career of being a lab manager - a combination of benchwork and front-line admin/management - which is a great fit for some, and doesn't require a PhD. But if you don't want to be at the bench forever, you're probably not going to be happy with a BS. With all of the PhDs running around, it's very hard to move up without the degree (and even if you do, you'll be stuck where you are, because your promotion won't transfer).

PhD is challenging - you're learning to do real research, which isn't easy even once you're good at it - but if you choose your supervisor wisely, it doesn't have to be a horror show. It depends on what you want.