I don't like not having a clear career path

ruaroo

Hey all,

Looking for some insight on life.

I am 24 years old and graduated in 2015 with a degree in Bioscience. I have spent the last 1 year travelling and had the best time of my life. I have recently returned home and am completely lost/stressed/anxious as to what to now do with my life.

I am the type of person that always like a plan- I don't like the unknown. I get jealous (pathetic I know) of friends and particularly my own college classmates that are now heading into careers like medicine/teaching/law etc where the path is mapped for you and you spend X amount of years following that path/ladder to get to to where you need to be. I find these careers also pay quite well and have good job security. The problem is I don't think I am suited to any of these actual professions.

I love Science and loved my degree but I know for sure that I do not want to work in a lab- I prefer the more theoretical side of Biology. I am kind of interested in medical writing or getting into clinical trials or drug safety in a Pharma. I am just worries that I would not be able to progress in these areas and would be stuck on the same salary all my life- Please someone tell me I am wrong. I know for sure I want to do something meaningful and of value to others peoples lives and to feel like I am helping others. I also know that I want to work hard and be very successful.

I know this post is quite trivial in comparison to other posts on here so apologies in advance if I come across as a self- obsessed spoiled brat, you know when something just really gets to you. Anyway was hoping for some reassurance/advice from anyone but particularly those who were once maybe in my position and are now loving their career and have never looked back. Thank you

gercoral

ruaroo wrote: »

Hey all,

Looking for some insight on life.

I am 24 years old and graduated in 2015 with a degree in Bioscience. I have spent the last 1 year travelling and had the best time of my life. I have recently returned home and am completely lost/stressed/anxious as to what to now do with my life.

I am the type of person that always like a plan- I don't like the unknown. I get jealous (pathetic I know) of friends and particularly my own college classmates that are now heading into careers like medicine/teaching/law etc where the path is mapped for you and you spend X amount of years following that path/ladder to get to to where you need to be. I find these careers also pay quite well and have good job security. The problem is I don't think I am suited to any of these actual professions.

I love Science and loved my degree but I know for sure that I do not want to work in a lab- I prefer the more theoretical side of Biology. I am kind of interested in medical writing or getting into clinical trials or drug safety in a Pharma. I am just worries that I would not be able to progress in these areas and would be stuck on the same salary all my life- Please someone tell me I am wrong. I know for sure I want to do something meaningful and of value to others peoples lives and to feel like I am helping others. I also know that I want to work hard and be very successful.

I know this post is quite trivial in comparison to other posts on here so apologies in advance if I come across as a self- obsessed spoiled brat, you know when something just really gets to you. Anyway was hoping for some reassurance/advice from anyone but particularly those who were once maybe in my position and are now loving their career and have never looked back. Thank you

do what you feel is right, not what you feel you "should" be doing! what makes you think you won't progress in your interests?
you shouldn't let that stop you. that saying "if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree" etc etc etc.
don't be so hard on yourself. i know you prob spent a lot of time/money on your education but why be unhappy doing something you don't want to?

have a look at the medical writing and clinical tests. no harm in trying. if you dont like it, don't stick with it. i have a BSc. am i using it? like hell i am. working in a shop. good pay, not ideal but im happy at the mo.

pwurple

In the nicest way possible, you're wrong.
There are heaps of opportunity for progression in life sciences, but you need SOME experience under your belt. You don't just walk out of uni, find yourself for a year and land the same job as someone with 15 years experience. Bio science is fascinating stuff... all those proteins! 
Once you're in a large pharma, the emails fly constantly with new roles and opportunities available, travel is possible within those. 

You can also go the academic route, masters, phd, knock out a few papers. But i'd highly recommend trying a pharma for a year or two, and seeing where it takes you. I'm an engineer, but I've worked in banking/finance sector, IT, and life sciences. Sky is the limit from what I can with earning potential in biopharma if you are ambitious.

ancapailldorcha

ruaroo wrote: »

I love Science and loved my degree but I know for sure that I do not want to work in a lab- I prefer the more theoretical side of Biology. I am kind of interested in medical writing or getting into clinical trials or drug safety in a Pharma. I am just worries that I would not be able to progress in these areas and would be stuck on the same salary all my life- Please someone tell me I am wrong. I know for sure I want to do something meaningful and of value to others peoples lives and to feel like I am helping others. I also know that I want to work hard and be very successful.

I work in the life sciences OP, specifically Immunotherapy. I love the lab though so I'm happy enough. The first piece of advice I'd give you is to stop comparing yourself to others. You'll come up short no matter what. LinkedIn, Facebook and such offer only carefully chosen snapshots of people's lives. I was in the same boat as yourself, still am in a few ways but you have options in life sciences that you don't have in other sectors. The second piece is that there is a wide range of possibilities in the life sciences. You train to be an accountant and that's it. Your stuck as one unless you retrain. In science you can be a medical writer, work in sales, marketing, the lab, for regulators, clinical trials, project management, patent law and so on! There are many possibilities! I'm genuinely confused as to why you feel that progression would be difficult or impossible in these areas. It's the same as any other sector. Work at it and see if your employer will sponsor you to go to conferences and workshops. It takes a lot of time as well. I've just jumped to Research Scientist whereas I was an RA this time 6 months ago. Before that I was a Technician. It takes time, ie years.

If you loved your degree, then I suggest you stick with it. Persevere. Nobody gets ahead with hard work and, yes, a bit of luck with it.