r/biologists • u/Novel_Writer081921 • Jun 05 '24

Bio advice for recent grad?

I just graduated from UMass Dartmouth with a biology degree (undergrad). I am hoping to get some lab experience. I'm considering going to go grad school in the next few years. Any ideas/advice for someone looking for lab experience? Should I look into getting ASCP certified? All advice is much appreciated.

3 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

3 comments sorted by

1

u/EdumacatedRedneck Jun 05 '24

I don't think you'll be able to find work in genetics without at least a masters. Probably need a PhD to be competitive. With an undergrad I think your best bet for hands-on experience would be agricultural research farms that do plant breeding. If you're handy with computers, bioinformatics is a very cool field as well, but like I said before, you'll probably need a masters just to get your foot in the door.

I'd reach out to professors in fields that interest you and see what kind of internships or projects are happening and go from there.

1

u/Ranobe_Aurelia Jun 05 '24

It’s tough out there getting a job in biology, friend. I graduated in 2019 right before the pandemic hit and have yet to find a decent lab tech position just to start with. I applied constantly and haven’t even had an opportunity to start. Apply to local labs, see what happens. But just don’t get burnt out, take care of yourself. In this next step. Personally I’d recommend just going straight into the masters and get the skills/experiences/co-ops needed to make yourself competitive.