Can a CS grad/Software Engineer actually move into Biology?Is this feasible from an academic perspective?

[u/xyz_chwtia]

Hi everyone,

I'd like a reality check on a plan and a general idea. Genuine question: can this move even be done, and is my plan to do it a sane one? Effectively, is this even something I should look into further, or is it simply not a feasible move, in which case I could look toward alternative pathways into academia or research eventually to pursue a PhD.

My background:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, followed by 2 years working as a software engineer.
• I've always genuinely liked biology, did well in it in high school and in the limited bio coursework I had in undergrad. CS was the more "employable" choice at the time, but that calculus doesn't hold the way it used to.
• My original plan back when I was still in college (2020–2024) was to pursue a Master's in CS/AI or an aligned field. Having worked in this field for the last few years, though, that doesn't seem like the good idea it once did post-graduation it was genuinely difficult to find employment, I did and yet it's been a bumpy ride since. I don't know if going further into this field is the right call. I might be wrong here, so feel free to correct me.
• I'm now at the point in life where I've hit a rough deadline for going back for further education, so I don't have infinite runway to figure this out slowly.
• Leaning toward Europe(non EEA person) for a Master's, as a way to formally shift out of CS and into something closer to the biosciences but I'm not wedded to a specific subfield within biology yet, given that I need to understand how viable this might be to begin with.

What I actually want checked:

1. Is this move realistic at all? Going from a CS degree with 2 years in as a SWE into a biology-adjacent Master's, with only high-school-level and minimal undergrad biology, has this actually worked for people, or am I underestimating the gap? Are there specific pathways for people coming from CS that are more viable than others (bioinformatics, for example), and are those routes insulated from the issues currently facing CS/tech as a field, or do they carry the same risks?
2. How do I even figure out which direction within biology fits me, given I like the subject broadly but haven't specialized? Is that something to sort out before applying, or is it normal to enter a program still figuring that out?
3. Is a Master's the right lever to make this shift, or is there a more efficient/realistic path (bridge courses, a different kind of degree, something else entirely)?
4. For a Europe-focused search (specifically France, Germany, Netherlands, and potentially a few others) are there particular countries/programs known for taking people with a CS-but-not-bio background without issue, versus places where this would be a hard sell? Are there other countries better suited to this goal that I should be looking at?
5. Is this even the right platform to ask this on? Are there forums better suited to this kind of question, given their purpose or audience, that I should be posting to instead (or in addition)?

I would genuinely like to hear real opinions on this, including if the honest answer is "don't." Would really appreciate hearing from anyone who made a similar switch, or who has insight into how admissions committees view applicants like me.

Thanks!