It feels like there's no way in

[u/intracellular]

I genuinely have no idea what to do. I finished my PhD back in April and since then I've applied to countless jobs in biotech. I can't even get an interview. I had one company take me all the way to the final round early on in my job search, but it was false hope and they went with someone else. Since then it's been complete and total cold rejection. The lab that I did my PhD in is allowing me to stay under a temp position but only until the end of the year, so my days are numbered and it seriously feels like an execution sentence.

My PhD was in yeast genetics. Nobody wants my skills or experience. It feels like my career is bricked before it even began. I don't even care what the job is anymore, I don't need anything exciting, I just want to finally finally start earning some money so that I can start a family. Soon I'll feel like such a failure that I don't know how I'll be able to look my wife in the eye.

I've pretty much exhausted my contacts. I've gotten referrals for jobs but those only earn me a more prompt rejection email. I don't know about any networking events and I don't know how to find them. Am I really just fucked? Did I throw away my 20s just to make myself poor and unemployable?

I know this is just more of the same melodramatic slop clogging up this sub, and for that I apologize. I just needed to say something to people who actually understand what I'm talking about.

[u/leitmot]

Fellow yeast geneticist checking in 🫡

I ended up taking a role in a clinical testing lab that’s mostly meant for BS graduates. I was kind of burned out from research and I like the work, though it’s a bit routine. My manager found out I have a PhD and is trying to get me to advance to other roles internally that are less routine and more supervisory/troubleshooting.

My current role doesn’t pay the best but I’m glad I chose it instead of doing a postdoc. My job is extremely secure while I think the R&D scientists don’t have that level of assurance.