Boost Your Career in Biotech: Breaking Free from an Industry Rut | Expert Tips

  • Thread starter Thread starter not a quark
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Industry Stuck
Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion focuses on career advancement challenges faced by individuals with a PhD in a small R&D company, particularly in transitioning to the biotech or biomedical fields. Participants explore networking strategies, industry experiences, and the relevance of their current roles to their career aspirations.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Meta-discussion

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses feeling stuck in their current job after eight years, lacking opportunities for advancement and relevant experience in biotech.
  • Another participant humorously reassures the original poster by highlighting their doctoral status, suggesting it provides some advantage.
  • A question is raised about the types of work physics PhDs typically do in R&D, indicating a curiosity about career paths in the field.
  • One participant mentions that defense work is prevalent, influenced by military trends and technology interests.
  • A suggestion is made to network and cultivate contacts in desired industries, emphasizing the importance of professional connections for career development.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express varying perspectives on career challenges and networking strategies, with no consensus on the best approach to transition into the biotech field. The discussion remains unresolved regarding specific pathways and experiences in different sectors.

Contextual Notes

Participants' experiences and suggestions are based on personal insights and may not reflect broader industry trends or opportunities. The discussion highlights the limitations of networking and the impact of company size on career growth.

Who May Find This Useful

Individuals in R&D roles, particularly those with advanced degrees seeking to transition into biotech or related fields, may find the insights and experiences shared in this discussion relevant.

not a quark
Messages
2
Reaction score
0
I've been working at a small R&D company for almost 8 years since my PhD. The things I do are not particularly related to my thesis research. I've had some projects of my own that went fine, but mostly I've ended up working on co-workers' stuff. Being a small place with a capricious promotion policy I've had the same title this whole time, which also doesn't look great on the ole resume. Now a gov. grant that I was really excited about that could have lead to good new opportunities has been turned down. I think I would like to transition into a biotech/biomedical related job (i.e. much closer to my personal interests), but opportunities to publish and get to conferences have been slim.

So I am feeling rather stuck. While I have confidence in my skills I'm not sure I look that great on paper, I have virtually zero contacts in the biotech world, and I'm not sure how to proceed. I think I have reached the limit of my professional growth at this job due to circumstance, company size, etc. Now what?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Who knows...but at least you're Dr. Not a quark, so you're better off than most. :)
 
Not sure if this is too much of a personal question but I'll ask anyway. What kind of work do physics PhDs do in R&D, or at the very least, what do they do in your field/job? The majority of the posts in this section are basically about technical jobs being scare and them being even rarer outside of defense, oil & gas and finance, which is why I am interested in what you do. :-)
 
Yup, defense work. Largely driven by military fads and half-hearted attempts by Pentagon brass to be hip to new technology trends.
 
The solution is to network. Cultivate contacts among other industries where you might like to work. Join a few societies, work on standards, things like that. Then, you'll be able to meet the sorts of people who can help you write your own ticket.

Eight years is enough to get you started if you have the degrees...
 

Similar threads

Physics How hard is it to get a job in the semiconducter industry?
  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
2K
Engineering Biotech and Biological Engineering career prospects
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
2K
Engineering PhD in Engineering, Very Rare in Industry I Work in, Impacts?
  • · Replies 27 ·
Replies
27
Views
5K
Engineering Career advice for a nuclear engineering graduate
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
4K
Any biotech workers here? How did you get experience before your 1st job?
  • · Replies 9 ·
Replies
9
Views
8K
Job Skills Converting a CV to a Resume (from Academia to Industry)
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
2K
Engineering Hiring Biomedical Engineers as opposed to more traditional Engineers
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
Physics I need guidance from Medical Physicists for my career growth
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
3K
Physics Is Lack of Publications a Barrier for Landing a Post-Doc or Industry Job?
  • · Replies 9 ·
Replies
9
Views
4K
BSc in Meteorology with no experience -- Is it reasonable to look for international jobs?
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
3K