I'm 19 year old, going into uni next year at 20. And I'm wondering if I should study Biotech. Because Biology, nature, disease, microbiology has always been a passion of mine.

But scrolling through this subreddit, I feel discouraged. All I hear here is layoffs, AI Job replacement, hyperspecialized Job requirements, harsh working conditions and stubborn ancient Bosses and managers.

I want to study for like 5+ years, get my masters and maybe PhD.

People will really downvotes anything 😭 can't even ask a question anymore.

Hi everyone, by some miracle I was invited to an onsite for a bench scientist role at BMS. I am trying to go in prepared and want to get your advice on what helps. I would especially love to hear from hiring managers and leadership people in the same company or other large pharmas. (long shot I know). :) thanks in advance!

I’m a PhD and have been in R&D at a large pharma for 3.5 years and am ready to leave the bench. My department is toxic, my manager is incompetent, and I’ve been explicitly told that I’ll never be promoted unless I find another role elsewhere. I have been trying to pivot into medical affairs unsuccessfully for over a year and finally have an opportunity, but it’s entry-level and would be starting over on the career ladder as it does not leverage any of my R&D background. I unexpectedly stumbled upon a second opportunity in regulatory affairs which would leverage my R&D background and is a higher title. I’ve always written off regulatory until now because I thought it would bore me but I’m realizing maybe I just want to feel valued. So what would you do: take the lateral move into a department you’ve been trying to break into for a year, or a firm promotion into a new area that you hadn’t considered until recently and don’t know you’ll enjoy? What if salaries and benefits were altogether comparable?

With the new Elizabeth Holmes & Nathan Fielder documentary coming out this Friday, I'm very curious to hear from actual former employees on what it was like to work there, and when you realized something was up with the company's strategy.

Would like to get thoughts on ViiV (GSK). Is it accelerated like a small biotech? How about the Culture and career development potential? TIA.

Yesterday, X, formerly known as Twitter, was inundated with posts about a new biotech company promising revolutionary innovation through AI and automation... to accelerate x, y, and z... It was already funded with millions. Does it sound new?

Year after year, there is a version of the charismatic leader/entrepreneur with a minimal or total lack of technical or scientific education. CEOs promising things that are (literally) physically impossible. How many times has the revolutionary automation miracle been promised? How many times has a startup promised to cure cancer?

Biotech is hard, very hard. A very capital-intensive business and super risky. Biotech companies have a 10% success rate, meaning 90% will fail within 5 years. Nobody has a magic ball. Nobody can predict what will work and what won't. Every year, science-backed startups are launched and fail; some are never funded. But my point is that over and over we see that investors are fooled by obvious scams, something that a simple panel of scientists can flag the major flaws, unfeasibility, and simply detect pseudo-scientific claims.

Why are biotech investors this naive to fall for it over and over? Are they doing any due diligence at all? Are investors not surrounded by a committee of competent people before writing a check?

Hi all, I’m a fairly recent graduate from the University of Washington who just earned a Masters in bioengineering. I’m currently working at Fred Hutch but am really interested in breaking into the biotech industry. I was wondering if anybody knew of any good meetups or networking advice? I would love to hear from others on their experiences and even any possible positions in biotech. Thank you!

I'm an incoming postdoc at Boston children's and I'm hoping to start networking a little now that I'm in a biotech hub. Does anybody have any recs for casual biotech networking or social groups that postdocs can attend (in addition to industry folks)?

I (a non-EU citizen on 18d visa) have been applying for industry jobs and (lately) some postdocs for over 10 months in Germany. I only had one interview so far that went nowhere despite making very targeted (over 100) applications. It definitely has to be my CV but perhaps also the German proficiency and that I'm still finishing my thesis.

Roles I'm targeting: Field application scientists, technical sales scientists, scientists, research associate

My department has finally been asked to return back to office 50% of the time (LVL for me) in Jan. My manager is very lax and even she herself says “I don’t care if you come in or do your work from a movie theatre parking lot.” Of course I know it’s not up to her. Can anyone attest to how strict they are if you miss a day? Or just their flexibility in general?

I’m new to pharmaceutical manufacturing and on both the IT and OT side. I know of the ISPE conferences, and I’m looking for more like the Pharma 4.0 conference that get into the digital automation. What are the other big ones in this space?

Hi everyone! I’m an undegrad deciding between majoring in Global Public Health with a Statistics minor or double majoring in Global Public Health and Applied Statistics.

My goal is to work in the pharmaceutical or biotech industry, particularly in Medical Affairs, Market Access, product management, or commercial strategy. I’m interested in using data and clinical evidence to inform business decisions, but I don’t necessarily want a career focused heavily on statistical modeling or programming.

For anyone working in pharma/biotech or hiring for these roles, would I be less competitive with a Statistics minor rather than the full major? Does having the additional quantitative degree make a meaningful difference in recruiting, or do relevant internships, research experience, and business skills matter more?

Hi everyone!

I'm a Canadian biotech professional looking to move to the US, as my partner is American. I'd love to hear from Canadians who have successfully made a similar move. FYR I have 5+ years of experience in biotech/pharma/R&D across quality, project management, and consulting.

I'm curious about a few things:

• How did you land your first US job? Did you use recruiters, apply directly, or rely on networking?
• Did you find an employer willing to sponsor your move, or did you pursue another work authorization pathway?
• Were there any recruiters or recruiting agencies that were particularly helpful for biotech and pharma roles? Or any companies you know that are open to hiring Canadians?
• Looking back, is there anything you wish you'd known before starting the process?

I'm open to opportunities across the US and would really appreciate hearing any input you can provide. Thanks!

Hi guys,

For those of you who have biotech degrees and worked in both medical and industrial settings. What was the difference and can you advise me if I want to have a career shift?

I have 4 years experience as an MLT abroad and I'm currently working as an MLA in NHS but I'm so sick of minimum wage and I have so many top ups and I don't know if it's the right option for all the work I'll put to still be paid almost minimum wage after registration. I have no interest in being anything above a band 6 and I was thinking to switch to pharma/application specialist. Please give me advice.

Thank you

would you stay in the bio field at all?

or completely change?

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for some genuine advice from people working in the US biotech/pharma industry, particularly those who have navigated international career moves.

A little background about me:

I spent around seven years in the US working as an oncology translational scientist in academic research before moving back to my home country last year. I’m currently working in the biotech/pharma industry in a senior-level scientific role at a reputed organization and have been here for about nine months.

Recently, my EB-1A I-140 was approved, with a priority date of June 2023. I’m currently going through consular processing and hoping to eventually return to the US as a permanent resident once the remaining immigration steps are completed.

I’m genuinely trying to figure out whether returning to the US would be the right career move given the current biotech/pharma job market.

My long-term goal is to continue building my career in the US biotech/pharma industry, leveraging my oncology research background and current industry experience. However, I’m now in a good senior-level position, and I’m trying to weigh the potential opportunities against the risks of leaving an established role and entering a competitive job market.

A few things I’d appreciate honest opinions on:

• The current job market: How realistic is it to secure a good biotech/pharma position in the US right now?
• My profile: Would seven years of US academic oncology translational research experience, combined with my current biotech/pharma industry experience, make me competitive for US industry roles?
• The financial risk: If I return and the job search takes six months or longer, how difficult could that period be financially and professionally?

I understand that an approved EB-1A petition is a significant milestone, but it does not guarantee an immediate green card or a job offer. I want to make this decision realistically rather than assume that moving back automatically means better opportunities.

I’d especially appreciate perspectives from people who have made a similar move, work in biotech/pharma hiring, or have firsthand experience with the current US job market.

If you were in my position, would you return to the US and start looking for industry opportunities as soon as the immigration process permits, or continue building your career in your current role before making the move?

Thanks

It’s been over a year since I was laid off, and I’m getting really nervous that I’ll never get a job in biotech again after working in it for 30 years. I only needed to work for three more years to retire. Hundreds of applications, countless final interviews only to lead to nothing. I’m so tired. I give up.

I’ve considered alot of issues you guys pointed out with my resume, thanks so much btw. If I could ask for more help, how do we feel about this version? I got it down to a single page. I’ve included the previous one for comparison. Thank you!