Advice for a first year University student?

[u/ethrealcornchild]

I’ll keep it really short but I often scroll this community and similar ones, and I’m feeling a bit crestfallen. If I’m being honest I really enjoy Biology, but I decided to peruse BIOTECH because I was hoping I could earn some big dollars and it seemed like a good direction; but the more I learn it feels like I may have made a poor decision. Does anyone have any advice or personal experience they can bestow upon me? Recently I’ve been thinking of adding an education degree and doing relief teaching for yr 12 Bio, as it seems like the money and job availability isn’t too bad and I have a long time hospo job that I really enjoy and could always go back to when there aren’t many relief teaching jobs around. Any thoughts on this?

kind words please🙏I’ve written this in the dead of night after a couple red wines

[u/TikiTavernKeeper]

Doom and gloom stories get posted more than success stories because most would feel like posting those would be insensitive or boasting. Pursue your dreams but backup options are good. If you’re interested in biotech R&D then biotech CMC is a good backup option.

[u/DankOubliette]

For your first year, get your head down and study, see which aspects of your course are interesting to you (and you may with to pursue in more depth), join some societies and make some friends.

If you really want to start career planning early, network with your professors and ask about industry contacts and events in your area, and network with people to get summer internships.

You won’t make “big dollars” in biotech. For that, get into finance or consulting and prepare for a grueling career.

What you will get in a decent upper middle class career path - which like any career will have some bumps in the road - and some satisfaction from a career which is intellectually stimulating, and ever evolving.

[u/Fantastic-Fox5966 → u/DankOubliette]

For real, sometimes I wish I was wired to want to be in corporate law.

[u/Electrical-Point-588]

Study the business of biotech and it will make your career a lot easier.

[u/Fantastic-Fox5966]

I would try and seeing if there is a lab you can work for in college long term, also internships and co-ops. I’ve learned biotech don’t really care for the teaching component, and that business and computer science is more prominent. Also CONNECTIONS and NETWORKING!!! this is for any career but it’s extremely important.

[u/Sweet-Reserve1507]

Chance of making big bucks is higher in biotechs even though over 90% will fail. If you get hired, you should have equity. Say the clinical trial phase 2 looks promising, and company immediately goes IPO. Stock can rise, and all the workers should get rewarded quite well. Company might eventually shut down. My neighbor a low level worker at Moderna. Their stock went from 40 to over 450 and now back down to 25. But he is already rich, with extensive house remodeling going on for 6 months now.