by Dave Jensen » Thu Oct 21, 2004 1:09 pm
Michelle,
You've got a long road ahead of you, so if you are already started to feel a bit of that "burn out" that others have spoken of, perhaps you are right. It may be time to re-think that decision.
Neuro is a field which is so deep that there are dozens, perhaps hundreds, of fields that you can get into. Many of these are not directions that would be of interest to industry. Therefore, if you had an interest to begin with in the biotech or pharma industry, I hope you've selected an advisor and a field that will eventually look marketable on a CV.
But, if you truly do want to take a break and get some work experience, you'd be just as marketable as any other BS graduate (this isn't saying all that much, because job searches are not easy with a BS in Biology and no experience). You sound VERY flexible if you would even consider sales, etc. Just remember that if you have an eventual desire to do bench research, you are shooting yourself in the foot to go into a business position.
If you are in a major cluster area (a city like Boston, San Fran, San Diego, etc) than you'll find a job with your BS and you'll be able to see where that leads you. Should you find the bench still looks appealing after a few years of that work, you can go back at that time for the graduate degree. (There is a "glass ceiling" for those in research who do not have that advanced degree).
Have you spoken to a few people in various kinds of industry jobs to see what they think of them? Don't forget about the wonderful resource here at the AAAS with the NextWave site. There are many feature articles about what different career choices are all about,
Dave Jensen, Moderator
CareerTrax Inc.
"Failure is a bruise -- not a tattoo." -- Jon Sinclair