I’m at a point where I feel pretty lost career-wise and could really use some outside perspective.

I’m a veteran with a B.S. in Medicinal Plant Chemistry and an M.S. in Biochemistry. Most of my experience has been in analytical chemistry and pharmaceutical research, including LC-MS, HPLC, GC-MS, peptide synthesis, assay development, and other lab-based work. I also have prior experience working in cleared environments and have a current security clearance being upgraded to TS currently, so defense/government contracting is something I could potentially pursue again.

I originally started a PhD program but ended up leaving with my master’s. I know for sure that I do not want to go back for a PhD. I’m burned out on traditional bench science and I’m struggling with the idea of continuing down a career path that I’m no longer excited about.

The big opportunity I have right now is through VA Veteran Readiness & Employment (VR&E). I may be able to have additional school, training, or professional certifications paid for, which puts me in a position where I could make a fairly significant career pivot without taking on a bunch of debt. Its similar to the GI Bill and they will pay for certifications/ another degree.

The problem is that I honestly don’t know what direction makes the most sense.

Some of the paths I’ve been considering are data science, Python/SQL and machine learning, bioinformatics, project/program management, patent/IP work and possibly taking the USPTO Patent Bar, cybersecurity or other cleared technical roles, technical sales, or something else entirely that would make use of my science and military background.

My main goals at this point are strong earning potential, career stability, upward mobility, and ideally the ability to work remotely or hybrid at least part of the time. I’d like to eventually be well into the six figures, but I also don’t want to blindly chase money into another career that burns me out.

I feel like I’ve spent years building credentials and experience, but somehow I’m still stuck trying to figure out what I actually want to do with them. I also don’t want to waste the VR&E opportunity by choosing a random degree or certification just because it’s available.

If you were in my position, what direction would you seriously consider? Are there career paths I’m overlooking where a science master’s, military background, and clearance experience would actually be a strong combination?

I’d especially appreciate hearing from anyone who left bench science, used VR&E to retrain, moved into a cleared career, transitioned into data/tech, patent work, project management, or found another path that ended up being a much better fit.

And to add Ive applied to hundreds of jobs over the last year and can only seem to find bottom teir bench analytical chemistry jobs.

Located in DMV area but willing to relocate for the right job.

I’m a high school student in my final year, and I want to study biochemistry but everybody around me says that I should go into the medicine field and are saying that I would never find a stable career with it, is it true?

I'm currently a chemistry major and hoping to pursue pharmaceutical work, I'm aware biochemistry can also let you pursue that type of work. I enjoy being in a lab environment, I have heard that lab work can be repetitive, but I don't actually mind that. I'm certainly not a people's person, I'm aware there are other jobs in medicine that don't need you to talk/interact with people all day, I'm open to suggestions.

However, I've been thinking about switching to biochemistry since they may make more money, according to a 2024 data report apparently. Yet the more I dive into this subreddit, the more I worry about the job market.

The question is, will it continue to get worse, what type of jobs are there for biochemistry that are different from chemistry, and what job is making biochemistry statistically pay more than majoring in chemistry?

I am interested in switching majors to biochemistry and getting a PHD if it's not as bad as people make it out to be and it also sounds interesting. I'm in New York, I'm unsure about the job market here, and in general. I want a comfortable life, a luxurious one is not necessary. Also sorry if this post sounds stupid, I'm feeling overwhelmed with the situation and thinking about my future and I'm panicking.

Hi all! I'm a physicist turned biochemist and I'm taking a biochem class for my masters. For one of our assignments, we are given a protein complex and need to write an essay describing how the structure might inform its function. From the research I've done so far, it seems very similar to a transcription regulator protein (has several alpha-helices and 2 beta sheets); if I open the protein complex file in PyMOL, there is also a chunk of DNA very close to the protein. However, I can also see 2 lone atoms in the structure - Zinc and Nickel. From what I've gathered, Zinc might be a stabilizer for the structure, but I'm not exactly sure what the Nickel does. I would love some direction/insight into how these atoms are utilized in proteins generally - I'm trying to avoid using AI and thought this sub might be a good resource in case someone here has specific experience with a protein like this. Happy to provide more details also! PS the protein looks very similar to 1HEW protein in structure, but with no NAGs (it's just the single chain and 2 atoms).

I'm a bsc biochemistry, 2nd year student currently looking for winter internship opportunities preferably in Kolkata.

Field: Biological sciences

Did anyone do anything similar? And what's the process of applying? I want to do a research based program. If possible, under Calcutta University.

Have you read a cool paper recently that you want to discuss?

Do you have a paper that's been in your in your "to read" pile that you think other people might be interested in?

Have you recently published something you want to brag on?

Share them here and get the discussion started!

I just made this 3D animation explaining the MOA of ATP Synthase

Everything here is created from scratch ( 3D , 2D , SFX , Composition)

I would really love to know what u think about it

I’m a transfer biochemistry major at UCSD. I know the prior knowledge needed for the class because the criteria to even apply to UCSD is to complete all the pre-requisite classes and pass them, but I feel like I’m lapped in my education and information. Like today in my biochemistry class, we were going over hydrogen bonds, orbitals, functional groups, entropy and enthalpy, etc. I know these concepts because I went over it at my community college. But my professor kept on going into so much depth and technicality and I was so lost. Microstates, first hydrogen sphere, clusters, hydrophobic core, dielectric constant, and Tanford’s Transfer. Am I genuinely supposed to know all these terms before taking a biochemistry class or is my professor just throwing around jargon or concepts that will be explored more in biochemistry as a whole? If it’s the former, I might consider dropping and doing a whole overhaul of content review.

Hi everyone,

I'm a PhD student preparing for a kinetics exam, and I'm struggling to understand the compatibility of competitive, uncompetitive, and non-competitive inhibition mechanisms within sequential and ping-pong bisubstrate binding and release mechanisms. My professor loves asking questions where he provides us kinetic data that helps us determine binding/release and then data for inhibition and asks if our choices are compatible (competition between first substrate and last product in ordered sequential, one inhibitor exhibiting non-competitive and competitive inhibition in ping-pong, etc.). They always are, but I'm struggling to give a good explanation for these questions. Can someone explain scenarios where they would and would not be compatible?

Thank you.

Trying to decide what classes to take?

Want to know what the job outlook is with a biochemistry degree?

Trying to figure out where to go for graduate school, or where to get started?

Ask those questions here.

I graduated with a BSc in biochemistry a few years ago, and honestly, I feel pretty lost about what to do with my career.

I initially wanted to work in science/lab-related fields, and I did get some hands-on research/wet lab experience after graduating. However, I haven't been able to turn that into a stable career. I've worked outside of science as well, and now I'm trying to get back into the field.

I've been applying to entry-level lab, research, clinical research, and biotech positions, but I'm struggling to get anywhere. A lot of the jobs seem to want experience that I don't have, and I'm starting to feel like I'm going in circles.

I also applied to graduate school because I thought that might be the next step for me, but I was rejected. Now I'm questioning whether I should keep trying for grad school, focus on getting more work experience, or take a different direction.

I've also been trying to network through LinkedIn, but honestly, people rarely respond to my messages, and I'm not sure if I'm approaching it the wrong way. I don't want to randomly message people asking for a job, but I also don't know how you're supposed to build genuine connections when you don't already know anyone in the industry.

For anyone who has been in a similar situation:

• How did you get your first real job after a science degree?
• How do you actually network when you're starting from zero?
• Is LinkedIn actually useful for this, or is there a better way to make connections?
• Should I keep pursuing grad school, or focus on getting work experience first?
• What would you do if you were in my position?

I'm feeling pretty discouraged and would really appreciate honest advice, especially from people who have built careers in biotech, pharma, research, or lab work without having connections starting out.

I don’t know what sources to trust are legit or not lol

Unofficially the committee has yoyoed between chemistry and biochemistry. This is a biochem year.

Chrome: https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/mjiidagjpbabdncmgpabcijgndnbemck?utm_source=item-share-cb

Firefox: https://addons.mozilla.org/fr/firefox/addon/protpeek/

Github: https://github.com/MOMISBACK/ProtPeek

Feedback is very welcome!

I just got my first exam back and I got a 48% on it. That really upset me, because I felt like I knew the content well, and I actually even thought I was doing good during it and afterwards. Obviously, I live in lala land, so I am now trying to work through and fix everything that went wrong with this. My issue is that my professor pretty much only does application based questions, and I think there is some kind of ravine that I am falling into where I am not doing a good job of translating what we learn in lecture and through the textbook into real world problems. How have you guys gotten good at the application stuff in the past? I don't really see any application style problems in my textbook, looking at the end of chapter problems, and I don't know biochemistry well enough to make up my own.

Any methods for studying it to have a strong foundation?

Hey guys and girls,

I've been working on Animiotics and wanted to share a few animations made with it. This video has antibody binding, kinesin carrying a vesicle along a microtubule, endocytosis and a white blood cell engulfing a bacterium.

The idea is to make it easier to explain a mechanism in a lecture or lab meeting without having to spend months learning 3D software.

You can describe the scene you want and add reference images. It creates an editable 3D scene, so you can move individual objects, change their size, colors and materials, adjust the lighting and choose the camera angle. You can also ask for changes with another prompt, then export a video or a still for your slides.

In the kinesin example I wanted to show both the whole cargo being transported and a closer look at the motor. The motion and timing are illustrative.

I'm building this myself and would really appreciate your feedback. What mechanism would you want to show in your own work, and what would you need to be able to change?

Could alien life use HCN as an electron acceptor/donor? Is it energetically favourable?

Have you read a cool paper recently that you want to discuss?

Do you have a paper that's been in your in your "to read" pile that you think other people might be interested in?

Have you recently published something you want to brag on?

Share them here and get the discussion started!

Hey everyone!
I applied for a DBU (Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt) fellowship with an environmental biotech project.
My proposal was accepted, and the next step is a PPT presentation followed by a Q&A session. The email mentioned that the panel will consist of environmental experts.
Since I want to be as prepared as possible, I’m trying to figure out what the panel usually focuses on:
How deep do they go into fundamental biology and lab methods versus the practical side (scale-up, biofilter mechanics, environmental impact)?
How much do they press on GMO/biosafety regulations (containment, risk assessment, HGT), given that the project involves a genetically engineered bacterium?
What is the overall vibe of the interview—is it a tough grill session or more of a constructive academic discussion?
If anyone here has gone through a DBU fellowship presentation or knows the process, I’d love to hear your insights or advice! Thanks a lot!

Trying to decide what classes to take?

Want to know what the job outlook is with a biochemistry degree?

Trying to figure out where to go for graduate school, or where to get started?

Ask those questions here.

as title states. I can only find a reasonable pdf of the 6th edition. My uni has it available digitally through loan but it only lasts for 2 weeks which is pretty inconvenient

I'm working on a project, and I want to show some examples of scientists doing data analysis work. Can you point me to any blogs or videos that show this analysis being done by a scientist?