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IN MANY ways, biotech may be the key to a higher quality of life. The industry develops cleaner energy sources, furthers medicine and produces cures, and develops higher-yielding crops to feed the world鈥檚 growing population. Whether you have spent the past few years working on a PhD or are about to finish your first degree, entering the biotech industry is an alternative to the more conventional life-science paths that lead through medical school or end in academia.

聯The biotech industry is an alternative to conventional life-science paths through med school or academia聰

But it can be tough to know where to begin. As well as the obvious first step of discovering just what is out there, chemical biologist Erik Hett recommends people always play to their strengths when looking for a job. That鈥檚 what he told himself as he systematically examined the different sides of biotechnology in his hunt for a career. 鈥淭here are a lot of interesting things you can do, and I decided to use my postdoc time to really learn what was out there,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 wanted to test out whether I wanted to go into biotech or academia.鈥�

He set his sights on industry, and became a co-chair of the Massachusetts General Hospital Postdoc Association, which gave him a chance to test-drive several potential biotech careers. 鈥淲e ran different workshops helping postdocs figure out where they fit in. I could help other people and at the same time I got connected and figured out what I wanted to do,鈥� says Hett.

Through contacts at the association, Hett landed an internship in the intellectual property group at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, and attended workshops organised by consulting firms to see if consulting would appeal. They were 鈥渋ntense but it was good because you get to see that it鈥檚 an intense lifestyle鈥�, he says. Testing out these positions made him realise that he would rather focus on the science, but he says the time he spent was worth it. That showed in his CV, says Dave Anderson, the hiring manager at Pfizer, where Hett eventually landed a job as a senior scientist.

Networking outside the lab, as Hett did, is crucial for getting a feel for the industry and meeting the players in the companies where you may soon work. Attending meetings like those of the American Chemical Society, the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), or the British Biophysical Society can help jump-start your network, as can more informal meet-ups for biotech professionals. All these extras add up on a CV, says Anderson: 鈥淎 lot of universities also have postdoc consulting groups that will tackle real-life problems and I鈥檝e seen those candidates fare better than people without that experience.鈥�

As for worries that companies would prefer people with business, rather than science, degrees, Anderson lays that fear to rest: 鈥淵ou can always make a scientist a businessman, but you can鈥檛 always make a businessman into a scientist.鈥� If you feel like you could do with brushing up on your business skills, find out whether the companies you are applying to offer education programmes where you can take additional courses or even degrees paid for by the company.

Some scientists study for an MBA to boost their skills, but depending on your position, you won鈥檛 always need a business degree to be successful. Many companies value business knowledge, but don鈥檛 require MBAs, says Yvonne Rogers, head of human resources at BTG, a mid-sized biotech company based in London. 鈥淲e refer to it as commercial smarts,鈥� she says, which you can pick up on the job.

鈥淭here鈥檚 definitely a lot of opportunity for people with a first degree in science,鈥� says Joe Hanson, a PhD student at the University of Texas at Austin, who joined biotech multinational Amgen after getting his BSc in biochemistry. 鈥淏ut you鈥檙e stair-stepping your way up with a bachelor鈥檚 degree. It鈥檚 that 10-year climb to the manager position, like it鈥檚 going to be in any other industry.鈥� Hanson decided to work towards a PhD after seeing that most managerial positions require some kind of advanced degree.

Another route is to join a smaller company. That鈥檚 the approach that Jo Moore, now a senior manager in medical services at BTG, took. She started out at a small biotech company after taking a first degree in cellular and molecular pathology. 鈥淏ecause the first company I worked for was so small it meant that there were opportunities. I moved into project management and out of the lab,鈥� she says. Working in a small firm allows you to interact with colleagues at all levels and functions within the business, she says, which can lead to more responsibilities or even a new position.

But large pharmaceutical companies have their benefits too, says Hett. 鈥淵ou can really leverage their resources. They have lots of courses and good lectures. You can develop different skills and that might be harder to find, especially at a start-up. It鈥檚 also more secure.鈥�

The mid-career leap

The biotech industry doesn鈥檛 just attract people starting out in the world of work: half of all biotech job-seekers in 2011 were midway through their career. The industry is flexible enough to have positions for many who want to make the switch. As well as advanced research positions, jobs in regulatory science and governmental policy are all options for people with more experience.

Those with experience may also have better luck breaking into the industry through newer research areas. 鈥淓pigenetics has been very exciting recently,鈥� says Anderson. 鈥淎 lot of genomic technologies weren鈥檛 around five years ago and there isn鈥檛 anybody in industry who can perform those functions. We can look all day for industry experience, but frankly we鈥檝e been looking more and more externally and courting academics.鈥�

But if you make the switch be prepared for a big shift in your working environment. 鈥淲orking in industry as a scientist is a different skill set from being in research,鈥� says Lynn Langer, a director at the Center for Biotechnology Education at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. Langer worked in industry for years before returning to academia (see 鈥淐ase study: Back to school鈥�), and says there are stark differences between the two. 鈥淚f you鈥檙e an industry scientist, suddenly you鈥檝e got deadlines and milestones to meet, and then there鈥檚 got to be a marketable product that meets regulations.鈥�

Regulatory positions are 鈥渁 good transition for many people who like a certain amount of structure but an opportunity to create鈥�, says Langer. 鈥淭hat seems to fit a lot of scientists.鈥� Getting a master鈥檚 degree in regulatory science can help, she says, and working as a consultant is a good way to dip your toes into the industry.

If you have got the business bug, you could start your own company, as Langer did. It takes a flexible person who can play many roles to be successful in a start-up environment, she says, but the hard work can pay off. 鈥淭here are a lot of scientists who say, 鈥業 like the lab but I鈥檓 not making that much money鈥�,鈥� she says. 鈥淪ome people move into business to make more money. Why not?鈥�

The human touch

Whatever biotech career path you choose, there are skills you will need that aren鈥檛 necessarily found in the classroom. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not enough to be a technical whizz,鈥� says Don Button, director of the cellular molecular technologies group at Acorda, a small biotech based in Hawthorne, New York. 鈥淵ou also have to be very good at working in a team.鈥� Hett agrees. 鈥淲e鈥檙e all in it together,鈥� he says. 鈥淚n academia, it can be that way, but it tends to be more siloed, more competitive, and you鈥檙e on your project on your own.鈥�

No matter what your position in biotech, good communication is a key asset and may be something you will have to cultivate on your own (see 鈥淐ase study: Show off your skills鈥�). The typical day for a bench scientist revolves around lab work: conducting experiments, doing data analysis and having meetings to discuss the outcome of your work. For managerial roles, there may be less lab time and more meetings, though you will still have a hand in designing experiments.

If you are not sure what type of position would best suit you, speak to people in the industry. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really hard when you鈥檙e coming out of academia, where you鈥檙e just in a lab all day, to really know what other opportunities are available,鈥� says Sunita Hett, who, like her husband, is a senior scientist at Pfizer. 鈥淚 know it can be a little intimidating for scientists who tend to be focused on their lab work and may not be the most outgoing people, but they should get out and talk to people.鈥�

It can be as simple as calling someone and asking if they would like to have a cup of coffee. 鈥淧retty much everybody was really receptive,鈥� says Sunita, who would email a contact that she had made through a friend, or even cold call people at companies where she was keen to work. 鈥淲hether it鈥檚 in areas you鈥檙e interested in or not, it can be really interesting. Maybe you鈥檒l come across somebody who鈥檚 doing something really cool that you never even thought about.鈥�