Forum:Bioinformatics career transition

Question

[jevill17]

Greetings world!

I stumbled upon this website by luck in my persistent journey to breaking into the field of bioinformatics and more thrilled to know there is such a community of you all among the billions of people that exist in this world. I would like to commence my question with a little background about my current situation to help clarify a better understanding of why I am here:

I, like most people, underwent sort of a life-crisis when I turned 30 where I started to reflect on what I have accomplished, am I happy with what I am doing/going to do, have I gained any real value from all the experiences I have done, etc. So, I have always struggled with finding my place in Biology because I , as I personally think about it, have, unfortunately, endured every biologist's worst fear in their career: not being hired for not having any experience. I have earned a BS in Biology back in 2014 and went to a school that didn't have much opportunities for gaining lab experience, so I graduated with no experience and, thus......couldn't find a job after graduating. Then I went to a technical school to gain some biotechnology lab experience and came out of it with 2 post-Bacc certs in stem cells and general biotechnology. Again, I couldn't find a job because...this time....I couldn't get any letters of recommendations, so I ended up working as a lab tech at a CRO. Fast forward a little .... I was able to land another job as a lab technician at a medical research center but it was a HORRIBLE experience where I spent 2 years doing absolutely nothing but mouse-line housekeeping, lab maintenance and running PCRs....which....is where I "rage quit" for not being able to learn anything meaningful and was about to turn 30. Shortly after, I decided to NEVER AGAIN work for a wet lab or academia and started a programming associate's degree, which I am about to complete in the fall of 2024 at the age of 32.

WHEW! If you have managed to graciously make it this far in my BLAH-BLAH-BLAH spiel....I applaud you for it!

So....I can comfortably say that I would love to break into bioinformatics, after I finish my associates degree, but the thing is that I am now feeling hopeless because I don't have any letters of recommendation, no experience....NOTHING! I believe I am in the WORST situation anyone could ever think about for anyone trying to change careers into bioinformatics. The PI and post-doc at the medical center don't want to give me letters of recommendation because they were very upset I left (they had to shut down the lab shortly after I left because they couldn't find anyone to replace me to help them with the brain-less tasks I was doing).

I am feeling hopeless and don't know what to do about my situation. I really enjoy bioinformatics and would love to transition into this, but I am not sure how feasible it would be for someone like me.

Thus, my question is.....:

what can I do to gain the confidence of potential employers/researchers and land me a job in bioinformatics?

here is what I thought of:

1. get really good at analytics with python/R, get familiar with data visualization skills, get good at using the command line and LINUX
2. try to make a personal project
3. try to publish some work
4. contact some researchers that are doing similar work and get some opinions from them
5. try to form a group with others online to work on a project using github
6. offer a lab to perform some analytics for free to gain some experience
7. apply for jobs

feeling nothing, but pessimism about my situation and would love to hear how I can change my life around

Thanks a million and looking forward to hearing from you all!

[Jeremy]

I would suggest freelancing as a way to gain experience.

[jared.andrews07]

Freelancing is arguably even more challenging than a "standard" bioinformatics position. And without a portfolio/past experience to point to, you will likely struggle to find decent clients.

Answer 1

[jared.andrews07]

Shortly after, I decided to NEVER AGAIN work for a wet lab or academia and started a programming associate's degree, which I am about to complete in the fall of 2024 at the age of 32.

Not to be discouraging, but you are going to have an uphill battle then, frankly. You will be competing against those with PhDs and Masters degrees who will have solid references and evidence of productivity by the way of publications.

I was able to land another job as a lab technician at a medical research center but it was a HORRIBLE experience where I spent 2 years doing absolutely nothing but mouse-line housekeeping, lab maintenance and running PCRs....which....is where I "rage quitted" for not being able to learn anything meaningful and was about to turn 30

These are pretty typical duties for a lab tech position. They are generally not roles meant for learning/development beyond what's necessary for the job. Perhaps your previous employers promised you more opportunities for personal development, though I'd be surprised if that were the case.

what can I do to gain the confidence of potential employers/researchers and land me a job in bioinformatics? here is what I thought of: 1) get really good at analytics with python/R, get familiar with data visualization skills, get good at using the command line and LINUX 2) try to make a personal project 3) try to publish some work 4) contact some researchers that are doing similar work and get some opinions from them 5) try to form a group with others online to work on a project using github 6) offer a lab to perform some analytics for free to gain some experience 7) apply for jobs

Developing your technical skills is always good, as is contributing to open source projects on Github. But the technical skills aren't really what make bioinformaticians valuable - there are lots of programmers and data scientists out there. There are fewer with the ability to wade through biological data, extract insights, and frame them in the context of the experiment being performed in an efficient manner. If you don't have experience doing that, finding a job will be difficult and most research groups will not want to work with you (even if you are willing to do so for free).

The exception to this is if you are a trainee in some capacity, roles in which at least part of the point is to gain experience and learn how to function autonomously. PhD and Masters students are given more leeway to spend time learning technical skills and guidance from their mentor as to how to be an effective scientist. And bioinformaticians are scientists, by and large. It seems to me that a graduate program of some variety is what you are looking for, though I'd urge you to think deeply and at length about whether such an endeavor is what you actually want - they are time-consuming and challenging.

[jevill17]

Hi Jared,

not discouraging at all as I like to face the full TRUTH head on and be told like how it really is-not sugar coated. I do recognize that I am in a highly unfavorable situation, but I believe there HAS to be at least one person out there down the line that will give me a shot sooner or later.

I think my story isn't very appealing to anyone as I am currently just another fly on the wall, but BOY will my story be amazing if I manage to pull this off.

I do acknowledge that this road will take several years and won't happen overnight, but I am willing to embark on it and write a few more interesting chapters in my life. I am sure the outcome of this learning adventure could result in what I'd like it to or maybe open me up to different opportunities that I didn't know I needed.

Thanks for the insights!

Answer 2

[Mensur Dlakic]

Ah, nothing quite so liberating like spilling one's guts to total strangers on the internet ...

What you want to do - a career transition - is much easier to do from the inside, and with a job from which you can transition. What you described below takes time.

here is what I thought of: 1) get really good at analytics with python/R, get familiar with data visualization skills, get good at using the command line and LINUX 2) try to make a personal project 3) try to publish some work 4) contact some researchers that are doing similar work and get some opinions from them 5) try to form a group with others online to work on a project using github 6) offer a lab to perform some analytics for free to gain some experience 7) apply for jobs

The first 6 steps, assuming you are willing to work hard and have strong guidance, can take anywhere from 1-3 years to learn in the abstract. To learn how to specifically apply these things to biology, even with your degrees and certificates, probably takes at least another year. Not that I want to hear more about your personal story, but whether you can support yourself during that time will certainly come into play. I don't want to say it is impossible, but in my opinion odds are against you.

My advice: 1) never again should you burn your professional bridges (many people want to quit their jobs at some point, but being 30+ should help in not hastily acting on those impulses); 2) get a job for which you are qualified without any additional training and prove yourself; 3) ask for more responsibilities in that job that excite you and make a connection with someone who can help you transition into bioinformatics; 4) make a transition when you are professionally and financially able to do so. I think even in this scenario it would take you 2-4 years, but at least the path seems more plausible than your steps 1-6.

[jevill17]

Thanks for the insight Mensur! I believe you might have added a little pebble to my journey/path and will be appreciated. I do acknowledge that this journey is NOT going to happen overnight and , like you have stated, will indeed take several years. Afterall, there is a reason not many even dare to embark on such a journey, right?

Your insight is very well noted.

Thanks a million!