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!
Question
sadako12
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!
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