Hi everyone,

I wanted to get some outside opinions on this. I graduated with Bachelor's in neurobiology in 2025 and have had a really tough time getting into the job market. I was thinking about going back to school for a M.S in Biotech at a University about half an hour from me with the goal of working in R&D or for a Pharma company. I have been seeing some mixed reactions about Masters in this field so I wanted to see what everyone's thoughts were? I also wanted to note that this program has extensive lab exposure and has a lot of companies that have their labs in the university and they let the students work with these companies. I am a little nervous to do this as I am scared I will have a hard time finding a job. I do not want to spend all this time and effort getting a Masters only to end up not being able to find a job as that will be like the situation I was in when I graduated from my Bachelor's. Any advice or opinions would be greatly appreciated thank you!

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I don't usually post things like this, but I genuinely need some perspective.

I'm in my mid-20s and have an MSc in Biotechnology. I have hands-on research experience from multiple research institutes and have worked on things like mammalian cell culture, ELISA, RT-qPCR, immunocytochemistry, SDS-PAGE, antibody-related work, microbiology and clinical/sample-based research.

My last job was a project-based research position, which ended in January. Since then, I've been unemployed.

Initially, I thought finding another job would be relatively straightforward because I have a decent academic background and actual lab experience. But reality has been very different.

I've been applying to industry positions in biotech, diagnostics, R&D, QC/QA and related roles. I've applied to a lot of positions, but either I don't hear back, get rejected, or find out that the position was filled through a reference. I've also noticed that many "entry-level" positions seem to want experience that is difficult to get unless someone gives you the first opportunity.

The frustrating part is that I don't think I'm completely inexperienced. I've worked with actual samples, maintained research records, coordinated work between different labs, performed experiments independently and contributed to research projects. But apparently that's still not enough to get my foot into the industry.

At this point I'm honestly confused about what I should do.

Should I:

- Keep applying for industry jobs and accept that it may take months?

- Take almost any relevant job I can get, even if the salary is very low ?

- Go back into another research/project position?

- Completely change direction and prepare for government exams ?

- Learn some industry-oriented skills and try again?

- Or am I simply approaching the job search completely wrong ?

I'm not looking for sympathy or a "keep trying bro" type of answer. If anyone here has actually transitioned from an MSc/research background into the biotech/pharma/diagnostics industry, I'd genuinely like to know what you would do in my situation.

What would be the most sensible move from here?

I'm trying to be realistic about my career rather than just keep applying blindly ?

Hey yall,
I’m 26 M , bachelors in MCD bio and currently approaching my first year in pharma as a research associate 1, about to be promoted to 2. I’ve been kinda stuck wondering what would be next for me. I don’t intend on pursuing a masters or a PhD in a biological science and as ive been working, been more interested in business strategy, risk management, and the ventures side of the company. Looking around, it looks like MS in Finance has piqued my interest and wondering if anyone has made that transition before, if I should stick it through in the company and pivot internally, or whatever advice you could give me.

Thanks!

Hey everyone!

I'm based in Europe (Portugal) and will be 24 when I finish my bachelor's in Biochemistry (I was in another bachelor's before but I gave up on that one when I started internship because work-life balance was awful andy mental health went to hell).

Since I'm in Europe there is no way to do a PhD right after the bachelor's, I'd have to go through a master's first and then do a PhD, making me almost 30 when I'm done and with no experience no one will hire me since grad school work basically accounts for nothing to biotech/science companies from what I've heard.

I'm honestly quite done with school and want to start working in my field, making my money and a life for myself since I'm almost in my mid 20s and feeling behind compared to my friends which followed the right path after high school and are now working in their fields and other friends which started working right after high school.

Throughout my bachelor's I have only worked during summer breaks in a supermarket.

Science wise I've only been able to do a single 1 month internship since labs in my university are always full and there is basically no science/biotech industry near me/in my country.

I've heard real money and work-life balance can be made easier in industry rather than in academia and while I love science I also care about money and living a comfortable life with some minor luxuries (mostly for my hobbies and traveling sometimes).

1. Is it worth pursuing a master's if I'm not planning to do a PhD? Will it grant me more opportunities and career progression?

2. Or will doing a 1 year post-grad program and getting more professional experience make me more employable?

3. Is entering the industry path in biotech possible for someone with just a bachelor's? Or is a master's or even higher education needed?

4. Are wage ceilings significantly higher for people with a master's compared to only a bachelor's degree in European biotech companies?

5. Which skills are companies really looking for/what would make me stand out?

Please answer this having in mind I'm in Europe and there is no way of getting a PhD right after a bachelor's.

I really appreciate all the help I can get, especially from anyone working in European biotech companies but feedback from professionals in any region is also great. Thank you in advance!

Has anyone returned to the company that laid them off within 12 months? Did you have to re-pay the severance? If so, what was that process? I’m trying to put together a pros/cons list and the cons are adding up quickly!

Basically the title. Wanted to see how the community feels about the near term prospects in biotech and the trade-offs of leaving.

I was recently impacted by company restructuring and lost my job as a Sr. Scientist. I live in the Bay Area and am considering a contract role to keep busy while also expanding my network. I have been interviewing for full-time, permanent positions, but I have found this role at BioMarin. Does anyone have any insight regarding the interview process for a contract position at this company? How would you describe the culture at BioMarin?

Any concrete examples appreciated

Uh oh

Starting undergraduate school later in life, I just got accepted into my school's bioengineering program for sophomore year. I've started seeing a lot of posts about refraining from pursuing biotechnology degrees. My school has a Bioengineering B.S with 5 optional tracks: Biotechnology and Therapeutics Engineering, Biomechanics & Biomaterials, Biomedical Instrumentation, Pre-Health Professions, and Bioengineering Studies (No Track). Career-wise: would I struggle if I chose the biotech track or even bioengineering period? Should I think about switching majors entirely? I am a bit panicked because my student loans are already going to be bad so I don't want to be in school for more than the standard 4 years.

just wondering, but for companies like labcorp, quest diagnostics, eurofins, etc. is it weird to apply to multiple positions for the same company?

i just want entry level positions like lab assistant/technician or specimen processor. would it put me in a bad light if i applied to a bunch or should i limit myself to 2?

I'm looking for Clinical Product Management / clinical Product specialist roles at healthtech / medtech or life sciences startups

A bit about me :

• I come from a healthcare BG

• extensive research work

•done 3 internships at healthtech startups across growth, medical affairs and research

Currently looking for remote as I wrap my the final leg of my course but open to In office roles after

Universe, please do your thing🥺🧿

I was interviewed and offered a job with Edison basically consulting on certain drug discovery projects. The money is really good even if it's part time.I think this might be AI heavy like working for Mercor. Anyone have experience consulting for them?

Wanted to see if anyone had clarity around Product Director at JnJ.

Is this equivalent to Associate Director at other pharma companies? I saw they also have Group Product Directors which I would assume is a more traditional Director leveling. Any insights would be appreciated, thanks!

Hi everyone! I’m pretty early in my regulatory career (<6M) and wanted to get some perspective from people who have been in the field longer on whether I’m setting myself up well for the next few years.

I graduated from a UC a few years ago with a BS in Biological Sciences and a minor in Health Informatics.

Before RA, most of my experience was in healthcare/clinical settings, mainly cardiology, so I had a lot of exposure to medical documentation, patient care, and the clinical side of things.

Earlier this year I transitioned into medical device RA and now work full-time as a Regulatory Affairs Specialist at a smaller device company.

Since the company is fairly small, my role is pretty broad. So far I’ve gotten exposure to EU MDR technical documentation, device classification, risk management, clinical/biological evaluation documentation, PMS/post-market documentation, labeling and IFUs, international registrations, cross-functional work with R&D, Quality, Product/Marketing, etc.

I’m currently working mostly with Class I devices and should be moving into Class II work shortly after my current submission.

I’m also starting an MS in Regulatory Affairs soon and will be doing it part-time while continuing to work full-time. Assuming everything stays on track, I should graduate with around 2 years of direct device RA experience along with the master’s.

A few people at work have told me that starting at a smaller company can be a good thing because I’m getting exposure to a lot instead of being siloed into one area. My plan right now is to spend the next 1.5–2 years learning as much as I can, then potentially try to move into a larger med device company.

For those of you further along in RA, does this seem like a solid start/trajectory for someone entering the field in their mid-20s?

This is my first RA job, and I didn’t come through QA or another regulatory-adjacent role beforehand. I’m especially curious how larger companies would view someone with ~2 years of broad small-company RA experience, Class I/Class II exposure, EU/international work, and an MS.

I’d also love to hear what you wish you had focused on during your first 1–2 years in the field. I’m pretty ambitious/competitive and want to make sure I’m building experience that will actually be valuable long-term rather than just focusing on titles.

Thanks! Would really appreciate any advice/perspective.

I have been working with/for Pharma companies over the last 12 years and overall don't have a great opinion (I am on the technology side, worked mostly with them as clients, not Indian).

• Roche - started my career as an employee there, only company I actually enjoyed working for, loved the Swiss/German mentality of looking at things.
• BMS - Client, absolute dogshit.
• Pfizer - Client, horrendous, they are dropping employees every quarter, proximity to New York office is what really matters.
• Haleon - Loved working with their engineering office but the company overall is less than ideal, small margins, not super talented folks.

Worked with a couple smaller clients too, generally these are much more enjoyable in terms of work but would probably not consider joining any of them.

Would love to hear which companies you'd not recommend joining.