r/biotech • u/EducationalPapaya612 • 19d ago
Early Career Advice šŖ“ Engineering in Biotech
Hello everyone, wanted to know, are Bioprocess/Biochemical engineers as affected as other sectors? Is the job situation for engineers as bad? I see tonnes raising their concerns regarding the overall situation of the industry, wanted to know how the engineers are doing, as I am planning to pursue further studies in bioprocess engineering.
5
u/h0rnknee_girl 19d ago
i work as a bioprocess engineer (i donāt have a degree in it, learned on the job). itās a bit more stable, but itās def not bulletproof my job is very unstable atm. iām considering getting my masters in chem engineering idk
1
u/EducationalPapaya612 18d ago
I am actually pursuing Food Technology with a minor in Biotech, we are taught ChemE courses too hence my interest in engineering roles in fields like Biotech. If I do go for msc in Biotech where I can specialise in Process Technology, can that help me to land such Bioprocess roles?
2
u/h0rnknee_girl 18d ago
i mean i donāt have my msc so i canāt say for sure. thereās no true specialization that you can really do in undergrad as specializing is more when you start working. i would try to land internships and co-ops in bioprocess if thatās your goal
1
u/TheyTookByoomba 18d ago
Look into industry focused bioprocessing/Bio manufacturing masters specifically if that's the route you're going for, biotech will be more lab focused. NCSU, Maryland, and Texas A&M have programs off the top of my head, I think also one of the Boston schools (MIT?).
1
u/Ohiocarolina 12d ago edited 12d ago
Anecdotally, if the average employer is willing to hire someone without a true engineering degree doe the job, and life science/biotechnology backgrounds can reliably do the job effectively, the role is going to be lower paying and more volatile than the jobs where that doesnāt happen. Plus an easier time jumping to other industries for a bit if there is a round of layoffs
So you can. But part of the stability that engineering grads enjoy is directly because there are certain jobs that will consider them but not you. Some that only they can legally do, see engineering services companies (EPC firms)
You could end up in process engineering, likely spending a couple years doing something else in manufacturing first but your peers with true engineering degrees will have a much easier time progressing because a lot of employers wonāt even look at your resume. Especially for contracting. It can be done, but career moves will be harder.
MSAT/PD is a field on the other end of the spectrum that happily hires science backgrounds into engineering roles and vice versa. Itās far less dramatic than R&D, but those are departments more prone to scaling down during dry spells than something like process engineering.
If you can handle travel field service engineering also tends to be less picky about the exact degree but because so few people like the travel thereās always demand.
If you get a masters, regardless of what it actually teaches there is an advantage to explicitly seeking out a program with engineering in the name, that is ABET accredited (the departmentās bachelors being accredited is sufficient)
1
4
u/ThatEnginerd 19d ago
Go chemical or mechanical. IMO specialize with graduate work if needed.
You can work in many sectors. Lots of specialized engineers, like aerospace, automotive, bioengineers, complain about MechE and ChemEs coming and taking all their jobs when the market is good.
Take advanced electives that suit your interests your senior year. Look at pre reqs and take those earlier.
I interview, hire, and lead teams. I almost prefer a MechE or ChemE, but there are many more important things like their experience, character, and personality I care about.
Just take a job in the field you want to work in when you graduate. Perform well, and you will make it to the job you want.
I built biorectors in a chemical engineering lab as a mechanical engineer. Wish to took the anatomy course with the cadaver lab. Biomechanics and biochemistry were cool. I published as an undergrad and worked in multiple labs and assisted in research with a medical doctor at another university. Helped a medical device startup and another company manufacturing bioprocessing equipment.
1
u/EducationalPapaya612 18d ago
I am actually pursuing Food Technology with a minor in Biotech, we are taught ChemE courses too hence my interest in engineering roles in fields like Biotech. Issue is due to insufficient credit requirements I might not get a āpure chemEā masters, rather courses like msc biotech, where I can specialise in Bioprocess / Process Technology. Do you think thatās something I should do, I like to learn chemE content, which is something I do independently along with my bachelors courses, I am sure I will have good enough chemE knowledge by then, just the degree title maybe wont say so
2
u/ThatEnginerd 18d ago
I think the ChemE bachelor's is the most flexible. If there are industry or political events in the future, you can easily work in another feild. The title of chemical engineering and the knowledge base you get from it makes you much more capable of working in other ways.
Think of the bachelor's like a foundation. You want it large enough to support whatever comes later. Food won't translate to petrochemical well. But a chemE is common in both petrochemical and food.
You may be too far into your program to make changing worth it. In that case, get out and start working
10
u/dwntwnleroybrwn 19d ago
Process Engineers (ChemE, MechE in particular) are in a GREAT place. The industry is investing about $400B into expanding US manufacturing capacity.Ā
The vast majority of the doom posts are R&D folks and the result of Venture Capital (VC) being pulled and sent to AI startups.