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The Biotech Boom Creates Career Opportunities
by Megan Malugani
Summary Biotechnology advances = thousands of new jobs Clinical backgrounds -- a
good match for biotech industry jobs Business decisions can come before scientific
advancement.
You're probably aware that advances in biotechnology like the recently completed map of
the human genome are shaping the future of human health. But have you considered how
biotechnology could shape the future of your career?
The biotechnology industry's recent explosion has created thousands of new jobs. If
you're interested in science, health or engineering, the biotech industry may be a new
career avenue. Here's a glimpse inside one of the world's fastest-growing industries.
An Illustrious Past and Bright Future
Although the biotechnology industry is still relatively young, it's growing up quickly.
The first biotech companies were formed in the 1970s, and today there are about 1,300 such
companies in the US. The industry more than doubled in size between 1993 and 1999, and
currently employs more than 150,000 people in the US, says Charles Craig, a spokesperson
for the Biotechnology Industry Organization.
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To find out more about the
Biotechnology Industry Organization, click here:
http://www.bio.org/ |
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"Biotechnology is really at the center of almost every effort to improve
healthcare, agriculture, industrial manufacturing and the environment today," Craig
says.
Experts predict that the industry will continue to expand rapidly for the foreseeable
future. "We're just starting the progression that the high tech industry started
years ago. We're on the rise," says Janice Delperdang, director of human resources
for Diversa Corporation in San Diego, which creates technologies and products for the
agricultural, chemical processing, industrial and pharmaceutical markets. Diversa
demonstrates the rapid growth common in the biotech industry in recent years. The company
began operating in 1994 with about 20 employees and now employs 170, with plans to grow to
300 by next spring, she says.
Widespread and Varied Career Opportunities
The majority of biotech firms are focused on research and development because most
biotechnology products haven't been brought to market yet. There is a "continuum of
need" in the industry for scientific researchers with doctoral, master's, and
bachelor's degrees, says James C. Pierce, PhD, assistant professor of genetics and
biotechnology at University of the Sciences in Philadelphia. Job candidates with degrees
like molecular biology and genetic engineering are in demand, and so are computer
scientists and bioinformatics specialists who can merge information technology with
science, he says.
People with clinical backgrounds can also find opportunities in the biotech industry,
where they will work "on the leading edge of medicine and healthcare," says Anne
Hill, vice president of human resources for the global operations of Hyland Immuno, the
Los Angeles-based bioscience division of Baxter Healthcare Corporation. Hyland Immuno
hires physicians and nurses with experience in treating chronic diseases such as
hemophilia, for example, because the company develops therapies for these for these
conditions. "Don't assume that because you don't have a molecular biology or
chemistry background, that there couldn't be a spot for you in biotech," adds Toni
Wayne, vice president of human resources for Hyland Immuno's North American operations.
"There is a melding of backgrounds in this industry, and there is a lot of
opportunity for the right people," she says.
An Entrepreneurial Environment
Biotech companies offer employees the chance to spend their days in lab settings, doing
hands-on work, Delperdang says.
The Basics
of Biotechnology |
| The first biotechnology
companies were formed in the 1970s, after scientists learned how to use the smallest parts
of organisms, their cells and molecules. According to the Biotechnology Industry
Organization (BIO), biotechnology "uses living cells and materials produced by cells
to create pharmaceutical, diagnostic, agricultural, environmental, and other products to
benefit society." The science of biotechnology is also used to alter genetic
information in animals and plants to improve them in ways that benefit people. Examples of
biotechnology products and processes include drug products and vaccines, medical
diagnostic tests, genetically-engineered foods and DNA fingerprinting. For a
resource guide on careers in biotechnology, visit the Biotechnology Industry Organization.
More Biotechnology Resources:
Diversa Corporation Hyland
Immuno
University of the Sciences in Philadelphia |
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"It's exciting for employees to be close to a solution, or possibly even part of
the cure for a disease," she says. Another factor drawing people to biotech is the
"entrepreneurial nature" of the industry, says BIO's Craig. "Like software
and computer companies, one way biotech employers attract top candidates is through
compensation packages that include stock options," Craig says. Approximately
one-third of biotech companies employ fewer than 50 employees, and more than two-thirds
employ fewer than 135 people, according to BIO. However, many large, mature pharmaceutical
companies are making "big pushes" into the biotechnology realm as well, Pierce
says.
The biotech industry does have drawbacks, some of which are inherent in the nature of
scientific research, Delperdang says. "Scientists have to learn to manage the
disappointments that come with the failures they are likely to experience before they
reach success," she says. In addition, it's sometimes tough for researchers to accept
the business decisions made by biotechnology companies, says Pierce, who worked for a
biotech company before becoming a university professor and researcher. "A lot of
heavy duty and exciting scientific research is being done in industry settings rather than
universities," Pierce says. But if you go the industry route, "you have to
realize that the goal is to make money. You can be working on a project that suddenly ends
for business reasons rather than scientific reasons. You're there to do science for
business' sake and you have to really want to do that," he says.
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