<p>I am a phd candidate in biology major. I am close to finish. I want to find a job in industry after I graduate. I want no post doc in academia at all. Only post doc in industry is acceptable for me.
My concern is that what I research for my phd has not much to do with the industry jobs I would like to apply. I did this project that has barely no practical use of biology in real life, like helping with agriculture, help with cosmetic, cure disease etc. But I want to find a job that does more practical things to human being.
I am wondering whether anyone here has done this transition successfully in a not so painful way?
I am really tired of talking to people and they don't understand that is the significance of what I research on. I want a more practical job to make myself feel a sense of satisfaction, to feel that my hard work is helping human being, it is meaningful.</p>
<p>And also, any tips on fishing for an industry job in biology would be greatly appreciated!!! Thanks for reading</p>
<p>Well, there’s your problem: your research to date has little to do with industry. You need to make your research topic have something to do with industry, or develop skills that are in demand in industry. There is no quick fix to this; people do not want to hire others on a hope and a prayer. They want to pay for skills and knowledge that are necessary in their area, especially given that there are thousands of PhDs in biology.</p>
<p>I’m not saying that you should change your dissertation topic if you are already pretty far along, but what you SHOULD do is get some experience doing research in something industry-relevant. Find a summer program, or maybe there’s a company nearby your doctoral university where you can do a couple hours a week. Perhaps there’s a professor in your department who is doing more relevant research; maybe you can get on a project with that person. You need to take the time to develop the skills that will make you competitive for industry jobs.</p>
<p>Also, recognize that academic postdocs (that are at universities) are often not practicably different from postdocs in industry. If you can get a top postdoc at a university doing research that is easily translatable to industry, that may help you get a job in industry. There are also more of these than industry postdocs, so it may be easier to get one of those.</p>
<p>You may also be interested in the Epidemic Intelligence Service with the CDC.</p>
<p>Try to get relevant experience before you graduate. Can you pinpoint relevant skills/techniques you think you need? Try to learn them while you’re still at your university and apply them to your project if feasible. </p>
<p>Learn more about industry. There is a lot of information on line. More importantly, meet people that work in industry and talk to them about it. Tailor your resume to be more industry-oriented and less academic. </p>
<p>I would apply to both industry and academic postdocs (but academic ones that can help you get into industry after).</p>
<p>Thank you for taking the time to reply me. I will think more of my future, it does not look very promising to me, lots of my peer students just keep doing postdocs, hard to find a real job.</p>