Biotech - Engineering Biology to Service Us

Hi all, I am looking to go into the biotech industry and wanted to get a feel for whats out there. I graduated with my BS in neuroscience and minor in business in 2022 from a state university and have been working in academic labs since. While completing my bachelor’s I worked at a molecular core where I learned basic cloning and molecular biology skills. For the last 2 years of undergrad I worked at a neuroscience research lab where I was granted the opportunity to lead my own projects, learn useful techniques, and write an undergraduate thesis. I stayed one year post-grad until I realized my heart was not in basic neuroscience research. I am now a research assistant in a cancer research lab at an Ivy League institution and really enjoy what I do—just not academia.

After much soul searching and consideration, I realized I want to go into the biotechnology industry. The lifestyle and workflow really interests me. I really like science but I can’t seem to fit into the academic lifestyle and know that I don’t want to be a bench scientist forever. I’ve even had some advisors and previous PI tell me they see me in biotech more than in academia. The majority of people in academia are overworked, underpaid, and under-appreciated. I work 55-60 hours a week and can’t request overtime, lab members make you feel bad if you work less than ten hours a day or leave before 6pm, no matter how much heart your pour into your project the PI makes you feel like its not enough. It’s not an environment that lets you thrive or have a good work/life balance. I am waiting for my contract to end early next year so I can hopefully make the move into biotech. I hear that the work/life balance is a lot better, compensation is actually a livable wage, and that there are a lot more growth opportunities. Here’s what I would want to do in an ideal situation. Please do let me know how realistic this is or if I have the completely wrong impression.

I’m located in the northeast and want to relocate to Boston. It seems like there are a lot of job postings by either startups or large biotech companies hiring people at my level that require 1-2 years of experience with a bachelor’s. Upon completing my contract at my current lab, I will have 2 years of post-grad/full-time lab experience and almost 5 years of experience in research if you count undergrad. I would like to work as a bench scientist for 2-3 years and then make the move into the business side. I have a background in business and would maybe like to go back to school and get an MBA (I hear some companies help with tuition cost). The plan is to the climb the corporate ladder and take it from there. Is this feasible?

I just read about all the people who left academia and say its the best decision they ever made. It makes me hopeful and the though of having better compensation and work/life balance is what is getting me through the next couple of months.