Careers in Biosciences Are A Growth Industry
The Job Forum & UC Berkeley Extension linked up to orchestrate a wonderful event for job hunters called “Careers in Biosciences.” Nine bio and life science professional experts took the “virtual” Zoom stage with a wealth of knowledge about the biotechnology sector. The Bay Area is home to so many leaders in bio sciences and the opportunities for job hunters are plentiful.
We were extremely pleased to have experts such as Eric Bennett of Frontier Bio, Angela Kane of Bio-Rad, Antinea Chair of Cellares, Amanda Santana of Vir, Kenny Wong of XCures, Yoshiko Stowell of AmyriaAD, Michelle Parekh of Stryker Neurovascular, Ted Snelgrove of FormaPath and Pamela Ronald of the Ronald Lab at UC Davis.
During the months of May, June, and July, The Job Forum organized career-focused events on many of the Bay Area’s leading job industries. This event for those interested in life sciences and bio tech was co-hosted by the UC Berkeley Extension, a continuing education institution that offers many courses in science, mathematics, and biotechnology. Volunteers who contribute from the Berkeley Extension side include Heather Mason, Erin Gunther, Sarah Benzuly-Narinelli, Luis Valencia, and Amy Geotina. Job seekers were thrilled to discover that this continuing education branch of UC Berkeley offers very flexible live and in-person programs.
After an introduction and description of their work led by The Job Forum Director of Special Events, Bill Pollak, and Executive Director Janet Beach, job seekers entered the breakout rooms for in-depth job search advice and Q&A discussion with industry managers. This is where the real magic happens as participants learn about the importance of informational interviews and how to obtain these, how to succeed in networking and in which bio tech associations and meet ups, and which critical career skills will be seen as particularly valuable, and which are examples of job roles that allow one to “break in” to bio tech. Those who made up the Job Forum lineup of volunteers, helping to optimize the useful content and process in the breakout rooms included Kathy Mark, Tina Choi, Valerie Dow, Tom Toy, Randeep Kullar, and Kathy Knudson.
Bio tech is welcoming across many career functions
One of the life sciences expert panelists pointed out that “85-95% of bioscience professionals today don’t possess a PhD.” So the point was made that there are many opportunities for job hunters, including for those from other non science industries and not from the bio tech industries. Another point is that continuing education courses are very instrumental for anyone looking to balance coursework with industry experience in the pursuit of a new job or field. The industry experts spoke about their respective companies, hiring opportunities, and openness to connect over Linkedin with event job hunters. Regulatory affairs was highlighted as a particularly sought after area that might be a good place to start for job hunters new to the industry. Computer engineers from tech are most welcome at bio companies. A very important and widely-emphasized theme was to keep learning in order to “stay competitive” in today’s job market. Luckily the The Job Forum as well as the UC Berkeley Extension are built around advancing the skills and mindset needed to be a strong job seeker and share a perspective that one must keep coming to events to make those needed career connections.
While surfing around in several of the breakout rooms, we compiled a handful of cardinal tips to make a splash in the Bioscience field:
- Generate a list of your desired companies and look to set up informational interviews with anyone in your Linkedin contacts who may work there.
- Look into how the careers developed among people in the industry (including the folks from The Job Forum event on May 11,2023).
- Check company websites for internships, especially if you’re new in the field or taking those continuing learning courses.
4. Research biotech company options across the whole Bay Area where new Biotechnology and Life Science companies are popping up all over on the map. (Bio tech in the SF Bay Area is certainly in South San Francisco and Menlo Park and Palo Alto and now many more locations)
5. Compile projects, work experience, and extra curricular projects into a portfolio document to use in both interviews or networking with industry connections.We appreciate those who were able to make it, as it was a hugely successful event. If you were unable to attend, we hope to see you at a future Job Forum event. Be sure to visit the website of UC Berkeley Extension to discover relevant coursework that may boost your career in the Bioscience field.
The next Job Forum Bio Sciences event will be Aug 17, 2023. (https://biosciences.eventbright.com)
The Job Forum was honored to have Pamela Ronald; who is not only a distinguished professor at UC Davis but also an investigator at the Innovative Genomics Institute of UC Berkeley as well as Director of Grass Genetics of the Joint Bioenergy Institute. Dr. Pamela Ronald is also the daughter of the innovative man, Robert Ronald, who founded The Job Forum organization back in 1952 as a new immigrant to the USA. His format for meetings to help job hunters is a time tested one we at The Job Forum still use today. Thank you to Pamela Ronald and her founding father.
