Bachelors degree in Biology, now what?
Hi! I graduated on may with a bachelor degree in biology and now I feel totally lost. I originally wanted to go to med school but I took the MCAT and I did not do good plus my gpa is only 3.1. So, I was looking to get into any nursing program but I missed two classes so now I'm enrolled as a non seeking student taking those two classes, however the university that I applied called me this week to tell me that I may need another class to get into. I really want to move forward without wasting anymore time, so since lab has been always very interesting for me too I decided to change my plans. I am thinking to apply to a master program but I am afraid it just delay the problem 2 more years. I have been thinking that maybe I should get some experience before doing a master but I have sent over 30 resume to different labs and companies an nothing happens. I am really worried because thanks to the lack of information over my undergraduate career I graduated with zero research experience, so it is hard for me to find a job. Recently, a friend told me about getting a certification as medical lab technician or histotechnology, but I feel that those career colleges are not very reliable and accredited so im afraid to waste time and money.
Right now I am working as a receptionist but obviously I am earning just 9.5/hour and is not enough to paid my loans and move from my home. At this point I am really frustrated and depressed, I feel that my degree is worthless but still I love biology and I would like to develop my career in that field I just do not know what to do or what route to take. I feel I have knocking all the doors but nothing happens! What do you guys think?
2 answers
William’s Answer
First things first, you are running into a classic problem that a lot of people have because you do not have a plan. People don't plan to fail, they fail to plan. The secret to success is not to look at job openings, but to look at careers that you are qualified for and seek connections with people that can help you get a job in that career. If you love biology and are determined to work in that field you have to identify who hires biologists, not who is hiring because if they are advertising a job opening it is either already filled or it is a difficult position to fill. What you want to do is find the job of your dreams before it is advertised. So, who hires biologists? Of those that hire biologists, who do you want to work for? once you have answered those two questions you have to become like Sherlock Holmes...who in those companies have hiring authority? HR departments are screeners, not hirers. Somebody has hiring authority and your job is to find out who that is and figure out how to get in front of them. Informational interviewing is a good tact to use. Write the hiring manager a letter asking for help/advise about the position you are interested in, give them your credentials and ask for just 5 or 10 minutes of their time (remember, it doesn't matter if they are currently hiring) If you can get in front of the hiring manager and that person likes you, they will ensure you get a job on their team. If there are no openings they will ask to hold onto your resume for when an opening comes up. This strategy is effective but you have to put the time in to do your research about the company, the position, and the hiring authority. Hope this helps, Good Luck!
Thank you !
Michelle
This was really helpful thank you.
Zinara
Hi William! Thank you so much for the amazing advice you gave Orealys above! I had a few follow up questions I wanted to ask out of curiosity:
1. You mentioned some really good options/focuses (networking more & planning better). Do you have any personal examples of times where your plan worked/did not work? How did you yourself stumble upon your current career?
2. What are some concrete next steps someone in Orealys' situation might take to get themselves back on the right track? Any thoughts or advice you can provide would be amazing!
Thank you so much in advance!
Cheers,
David
David Ohta
COACH
Holly’s Answer
Hello,
Most of the time computers are scanning your resume by a recruiter. Not the person you want to talk to. Also you must go out in person too. Do not rely on the computer for a job. I recently took a workshop that was wonderful this may help you the workshop is absolutely Abbie. Her name is Abby Kohut and she has been a recruiter for over 30 years and now travels around to colleges, leading a resume work shop, not just that she also will give you tips on other ways to find a job. There are internship sites for you to help find you an internship now. If you need money go to work and must work now the only hurdle that I can see is that you have no experiences in the field. So you will need training by a mentor. Start looking for an internship paid or not. If it’s a no pay then do it on your off hours, or on weekends. Start working as a lab tech for a start. You must work your way up the ladder. You cannot expect too much to start when just starting out. Another suggestion is find other areas in this field to work for. This is a huge field and many jobs. Go to Indeed. Com uses all the job sites and do not pay for any. They are scams. Never pay to find a job. They pay you. The economy is not well this is sad, that you did put fourth much effort and have not found a job. I have seen many whom have not. I did a career change at 53. So I know what you are talking about. It’s a hard Knox life. Sometimes not fair. You just have to keep on and do not give up no matter what. Even if you get 100 no's keep trying you will get a yes and then hang on to that yes for a few years so you will get the experience that you will need for the future then you may be able to continue classes while you are working. I wish you all the best in your journey. Keep the word can't out of options. This is not an option. You must. Keep positive. The Military hires for biologist so does oceans, and other sciences. My daughter is in the Military; she tested very high on her testing and was able to choose her own job. She is now working toward an officer status, she is married no children. She owns a home at 24 with her husband who is also in the military. You may want to go take that route for two years for the experience. that the military offers. With a bachelor’s degree you can teach school too. With only a few credentials more as a sub. Teachers are needed too. You may look into that. I have a daughter in law who has a degree in Criminal law she is now a sub full time teacher making 22 per hour to start. So you have other options just with bachelors. Good Luck.