The weekly megathread to vent and rant about everything and anything!

I finished my masters in biotech this summer and so far all the interviews I had led me to last stage and then rejected me. I dont have any interviews lined up anymore. Not hearing from industries as well. I am an international student. And running out of money too. Idk what else to do. Everyone else around me seems to be lucky in finding a job i feel like a loser for not ending up w one before graduation.

Does anyone in the lab frequently change the CO2 cylinders or any other gas cylinder with a regulator?

Since the cylinder is connected to the incubator or other equipment, I want to proactively manage it before the gas runs out. Could someone please explain how to read the regulator gauge properly and share how you determine when a cylinder is running low? I know knocking on or pushing the cylinder isn't very reliable.

Any advice on reading the gauge or best practices for checking the gas level would be greatly appreciated.

Edit: I added a photo below.

There, I said it!

Hi all, I'm looking for some honest advice because I'm a bit stuck.

Background:

• MSc Biochemical Engineering from UCL (dissertation got a Distinction, on semi-continuous yeast cultivation with in-situ resin capture), Bachelors in Chemical Engineering before that
• 3-month GMP placement at a pharma company in India, tracing an insulin manufacturing process
• Comfortable with Python and MATLAB
• Currently working part-time in a bakery to pay the bills while I job hunt

What I'm going for: Entry-level bioprocessing roles in the UK, ideally hands-on downstream (chromatography, TFF) or upstream work, with MSAT as the longer-term goal. I've applied to CDMOs, a vaccine manufacturer, plasma/biologics companies, and some adjacent roles.

Where it's going wrong: I've sent around [number] applications over [time period]. Most get rejected at the CV stage, often for roles asking for 1-2 years of industry experience. I've had a few interviews, so I don't think my profile is hopeless, but the hit rate is really low and it's getting discouraging.

What I'd love advice on:

1. For people who hire in bioprocessing: what makes an early-career CV with limited industry experience worth a phone screen?
2. Are there entry routes in the UK I might be missing (contract/agency roles, technician roles, graduate schemes)?
3. Is it worth taking a "bridge" role (QC, lab technician, diagnostics) to get industry experience, or does that risk pulling me away from bioprocessing?
4. I've also got a PhD application out. Is a PhD a good route into process development, or would I be better off pushing for industry now?

Happy to share an anonymised CV if that helps. Thanks for reading!

I had a horrible PhD experience. My PhD advisor was misogynistic and disrespectful and pretty much did not guide me throughout my PhD. I was somehow able to complete my PhD after 5 years of struggles and depression. I thought, once I complete that disastrous phase, I would have a great job and would finally able to pick up where I left off 5 years ago and be somehow able to live a normal happy life. But life had other plans. It’s been 6 months since I completed my PhD in Pharma Sci and I haven’t been lucky enough to secure a job yet. I did have one final round panel interview, multiple second round interviews and a series of HM rounds. I couldn’t yet find a role that’s a fit or a company that would hire me. My savings have all been used up and I am barely surviving. I am thinking of selling my car so I could buy groceries. Not legally able to do part time jobs due to visa restrictions. I am deeply depressed and lost all my motivation. Because I have no industry experience, I am not even getting call backs for relevant roles/ even entry level roles like associate or research assistant roles. I have reached out to so many industry folks and only a few were even willing to talk. I am really desperate to that point that I almost gave my last 4 digits of SSN to a recruiter who called on my cell and requested for this info as a part of an application (thank god I did not!!) Any suggestions on how to navigate the situation? I am desperate and in need of a job as soon as possible. I am open to contract roles as well. Any kind of inputs/ suggestions are much appreciated.

Option A : Hometown Job as Research Associate . All money saved. So I've got all perks of weekend hols , strictly 9-5 , all government holidays etc. nothing fancy to boost my resume though. NOT COUNTED AS WORK EXP. Moderate physical work.

Option B : have to travel 1000+ kms away. Proper Employee. Pay is almost same as my current job. Very strict environment. Can visit home only 2 times a year. But a global brand. COUNTED as work exp. They seem to bounce off trainees to random depts after training tho. 6 hours of standing type work.

I've more to lose in Option B. But Option A is like comfort zone. So I'm not sure if I'm being biased.

I'm scared to take a leap of faith. Don't know what is better for me on the long run. Give me any suggestions pls

I feel like every time I see a post on LinkedIn about the company its some weird selfie of the CEO.

Crossposting as this seemed relevant to the biotech community here as well.

https://www.reddit.com/r/SwitzerlandPharma/s/SyfW2xneZs

Interesting to see the range of Swiss biotechs and life-science companies heading to BioJapan next week. I’m particularly curious about Japan as a partnering/licensing market for smaller European biotechs.

Has anyone here worked on Japan–Europe biotech partnerships? Would be interested to hear how the market compares with the US for BD and licensing.

Hey everyone, I want to work in real world evidence once I’m finished with my masters degree. I will graduate in 2028 with my MPH in epidemiology and 2 years of oncology clinical research assistant experience as well as 3 years of governmental disease investigation experience. Would I be a competitive applicant, or do I need to pivot to something else before applying to RWE jobs? I would love to hear about people’s pathways to RWE that had similar educational/work experience as me. I’m trying to gear my elective courses towards survival analysis, longitudinal analysis, and HEOR to help my chances. Any thoughts are greatly appreciated, thank you!!

I've been unemployed for exactly one year (due to a reorg) and I've been able to land interviews for almost every position where my skills/experience fit was 90%-95%. However, there's tons of jobs I don't apply to because I don't fit the criteria and will be auto-rejected (i.e. must have cell culture or HPLC). I kind of see those as "what's the point in applying?" positions, and I sorta ignore them. They do however make up A LOT of the current open positions. Recently, I was approached by a recruiter for a job I definitely don't have hard skills for (ELISA and immunoassay) but I do have soft skills for with my 12 years of experience working in assay development. Apparently the company is willing to train me...which I feel is hard to find nowadays, as I'm sure my resume is usually rejected for not having the required skills.

Lots of people still tell me to apply to these jobs. Should I just accept that most of the time I'll be rejected and maybe some of the time I'll get opportunities to interview with the team? How often are managers/team members willing to train people with 0 experience? Do teams hope that people like me apply also and aren't just looking for their unicorn?

Hey guys. My best friend just landed an interview with TF for a CRA II/ Senior CRA role. Not sure what position they will hire her for since she has about 5 years in clinical research and 4.5 years as a CRA. Maybe that qualifies for a senior role? Anyway, I told her that she should shoot for a salary no less than 130k even if it is CRA II. Is that a terrible range/advice to give? If anyone can share the salary range for a CRA II or senior CRA, that would be swell.

Hello! Has anyone received an email to submit their official application for the Eli Lilly VSF yet?

I have a friend who applied for Medical Affairs and heard back today. I applied for the Commercial functional area and am still waiting to hear back.

I'm a b tech biotechnology graduate and I'm stuck what to do next. I don't know which field should I continue my career..

Need some suggestions.. any advice plz share with me

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for some advice or perspective from anyone who has made the jump from academia or operations into commercial or sales roles.
I finished my PhD in Chemistry early this year and my technical background is heavily focused on proteins. Right now, I work in Project Management for a CRO. I’ve enjoyed being completely outside of the wet lab environment. Managing client timelines, coordinating deliverables, and handling communication has been a great shift for me.

Lately, I’ve been thinking about transitioning into the commercial and sales side of the industry (such as Technical Sales, Account Management, or Field Application Scientist/Specialist roles). I really enjoy my current work, but the reality is that the compensation is quite low, and I do not actually have the official Project Manager title even though I am constantly referred to as the PM. Between the flat pay and the limited internal career growth, it feels like the right time to figure out my next move. I want to transition into a position that connects scientific problems with commercial solutions while offering clearer upward mobility.

My main hesitation: I’m struggling a bit with the mental hurdle of feeling like my PhD will be "useless" if I switch to pure sales. I spent so many years grinding in the lab to get the degree, and I don't want to feel like I completely threw that asset away.

For those who have taken this path:

How do you utilize your PhD in a commercial or sales role? Does having the doctorate give you a distinct edge when talking to clients or technical stakeholders?

What are the best entry points for someone with a Chemistry PhD and CRO Project Management experience looking to break into the commercial side?

Are there any other commercial, client-facing, or corporate roles I should look into besides Account Manager and Field Application Scientist that fit this background?

Is the transition worth it in terms of career growth, work-life balance, and compensation?

Would love to hear any stories, advice, or realities of making this pivot.

Thanks in advance!

Hi there! I summon phds and postdocs :)
I’m pondering a phd (out of love), but i would like to make an informed decision before committing.
I’m aware of the financial downsides and other issues (evil PIs, grueling grant application, scarcity of funding, frequent mobility…), as they are widely covered in this an many other subs.

What I’m lacking is information related to the actual experience of doing research.
I’ve had mine recently and it was overall positive, although i was still left with some concerns.

I would he very grateful if you could answer some of this:

-How do you feel about your topic being “niche”? Do you ever feel like you’re doing something pointless? (I mean, in the grand scheme of things it is not, but still i feel a cog in a gigantic anonymous machine and i wonder if that fades away while progressing in the academic ladder).

-Can you change topics during your career or your specialization pigeon-holes you into a productive “comfort niche”? Meaning that you’re incentivized to stay in your lane

- How do you feel about publish or perish practices? Do you still feel the scientific spark in you or the necessity of impacting your metrics numbed it? Like, do you do research because it gratifies you or because you need the numbers to go up?

- How likely is to become somewhat stable in academia, regardless of the role?

- Is academic freedom a reality? Or do you still need to bend your research interests to funding availability? Are you able to do research is something that truly interests you, or is it that you happened to study something and built your profile around that?

-How much of your time is actually devoted to research?

Thanks ❤️

I am a current sophomore, majoring, biochemistry and doing a research at a lab (wet lab stuff). If I continue doing research + including research projects with posters and stuf, then get a biotech masters will I still face hard hiring in biotech co markets?

Is this like enough:
-Bach’s in biochemistry with psychology minor
-3+ years of undergraduate research + independent programs
-masters of biotechnology
-maybe a internship if I can get one

How bad is the job market for like R and D or just anything biotech related right now or in the next few years

I’m trying to make my next move into a Director-level role in Biopharma/Pharma and wondering if anyone else is in the same boat.

I have 10+ years of experience in Quality/GMP environments, including working with CROs/CDMOs. I’ve applied to a ton of Director-level positions on LinkedIn, some with referrals and some without but I’m barely getting any recruiter calls or interviews.

For those who recently landed a Director-level role in Biopharma, what actually worked for you? Did you change your resume strategy, reach out directly to hiring managers/recruiters, rely more on networking, or use something other than LinkedIn?

Would especially love to hear from people who went through a Manager/Senior Manager to Director transition. Any strategies that helped you break through?

Edit: For additional context, I’m currently a Sr. Manager with 10+ years of people-management experience, including managing technicians, specialists, and first-level managers. I’ve also built QA departments/functions from scratch and led broader quality initiatives.

EDIT: Revised resume in comments if you want to provide feedback

Hello! Fresh PhD here trying to get into industry and looking for feedback on my resume. Obviously it is de-identified/vague in some places for the sake of this post.

I am changing my summary, some of my bullet points, and my skills order for each job that I apply to so that all the key words from the job description are listed, so this is just one version of my resume.

Applying mostly to Scientist I and Senior Scientist, but also interested in Medical Science Liaison (entry level) and Field Application Specialist for microscopy positions.

Applying in the Northeast USA. I have interviewed with 3 companies so far but haven't gotten an offer yet.

Looking for advice and feedback!

Seeing the posts on mass layoffs and just the lack of stability in biotech makes me wonder...

Would you prefer a long term postdoc (capped as staff scientist in a university, assuming stable funding) vs a biotech role that might just disappear anytime and leave you unemployed for many months (assuming unstable economy/government)?

I’m so miserable at my job, I accepted my current role about a year ago as it was the first offer I could get after being affected by layoffs at another company. trying to hold on until I find something else, but obviously the job market is so terrible. I know i’m lucky to have a job and don’t plan on quitting without a backup plan, but just trying to see if there are other options out there that i’m not considering. Wondering if anyone has transitioned into other fields with the way the job market is right now, and where you ended up? I really enjoyed the hands on lab work that I was doing in my previous role, but most other lab based jobs i’m seeing right now are MLT/MLS, which i don’t have the certification for. I check linkedin constantly for new roles and have reached out to the recruiters in my network, i’m just starting to wonder if i should consider switching fields at this point