That question seems to be on the mind of a lot of the people around me lately. Junior year of my undergrad studies at Brown is almost over, and my classmates and I are starting to think of what our lives will be like after next May. For people interested in the sciences, especially biology and biotech related fields. there are two main options everyone considers: should I get a job right our of undergrad, with only a bachelor’s degree? Or, should I stay in school for another 5+ years for a Ph.D?  There are obvious benefits and costs to each (which I’ll cover in a later post), and everyone wants to know exactly what choice will be best for them.

Up until recently, I have wanted to go to graduate school the fall after finishing at Brown. I feel like I’m ready for what the process entails, thanks in part to the books I’ve been reading by recent (either delighted or regretful) Ph.D recipients. But now, I’m not so sure. The Brown Club of Boston Biotech Conference was a big factor in this – listing to people in industry talk about the opportunities for bachelor’s degree holders was eye opening. The starting salaries they mentioned were impressive (and not much less than what you’d get as a Ph.D). The projects looked interesting.  And most importantly, the jobs are there.

I’m considering taking a year or two to work in industry before committing to grad school. After all, whats a year delay when you’re going to be in school for another 5-7 ?

I just returned from an excellent conference sponsored by the Brown Club of Boston. The conference was designed to facilitate networking between Brown alumni, current students and leaders in all aspects of the biotechnology field. There was a panel of three interesting speakers, each of whom talked about their unique experience in the biotech industry.

•  Angus McQuilken, VP of Communications and Marketing at the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center.

Angus spoke about the biotech boom that’s been happening in Massachusetts recently. A major reason for this is support from the state government – the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center was tasked with giving out $1 billion in funding to companies and individuals over a ten year period. Some of that money goes toward funding the internship challenge, a program that subsidizes internships for Mass residents and students working at biotech companies.

• Mitch Sanders, Ph.D, founder and CEO of ECI Biotech

Mitch talked about his experience in biotech after his postdoc at MIT. His company is developing sensors that change color in the presence of certain bacteria and viruses – the tech is being applied to band-aids, prosthetics and food and will hopfully be on the market within the next couple of years. He also spoke about the ups and downs his company had been through in the past years and the importance of being able to adapt in the industry.

• Elaine Crowley, founder and president of the Crowley Group.

The Crowley Group is a consulting firm that provides “insightful executive coaching” to companies and individuals. Although not limited to biotech, Eliane had some good lessons for the audience of students: finding employment that matches your culture is just as (if not more) important than the pay, prestige or benefits.

There was a Q&A session after the panelists spoke. I asked the three of them about the pros and cons of getting a Ph.D before working in the biotech industry, and the answers I recieved surprised me. More on that in a later post!

Many thanks to the members of the Brown Club of Boston who organized this event, especially Paula Freeman. who blogs about etiquette and lessons young people should learn over at jobetiquettebypaula.wordpress.com.