Thinking of doing an Life Science diploma/degree? Read this first.

Life science is a failed experiment in Singapore. Just look at the published budget for A-Star this year versus that of its yesteryears.

[warning]

Up for o level grads

From doing sales for a year to tuition the next 1 year and then to join family hawker business. You decide!

RAZORTV - Science grads chose to be hawkers

Why don't you join a Pharmaceutical plant or any biotech company? GSK is now starting up new plant and now looking into doing vaccine related product. And now they are hiring people because of all the new plant starting up. Isn't this related to life science? In the biotechnology field, many foreign investment is starting


*question from a person who is in engineering field(science field) and has friendS who working in pharmaceutical plant and life science related jobs.

Poly grad here gradutated with a science engineering diploma, finishing NS soon and I too am quite interested in Life Sciences, specifically biomedical science.
anyone can help give advice on this?
is life science in Singapore really such a dead end?

Take Engineering, trust me. You do the sciences as electives or minors in uni.
Want to take a leap of faith? Make sure you end on the right side of the cliff. Life science degree from anywhere both local or private in a Singapore market means
a) Assistant researcher (Another fancy way of saying wash test tube)
b) Researcher (Obtaining funding, patents, grants)
c) Biomedical sales (As Per mentioned)

So lets look at it objectively.

a) Its a joke, you wont go anywhere with that. Your just an overqualified lab assistant. Want to try companies like GSK? They rather hire the bioengineers. ASTAR? Research based companies. You can get them, just not the job you imagined. The kind where you do real research and discoveries.

b) The best option. Problem is, need do postgraduate studies. This is a CONFIRMED thing. No 2 ways about it. And to do a masters in life science field, not so easy and it takes time and also, will be very very stressful during your research year aka PHD understudy (work and research at the same time, 18 hours minimum a day with only 2k allowance). Just to air a degree of caution, my lecturer told me research line is good and interesting...for a few years, just to get the knowledge. Never NEVER consider it as the endgame. You wont be rich or rather wont be where you think you'll want to be.

c)Not that there isn't any money in biomedical sales, or sales for that matter but you will be in the same river as insurance agents, housing agents. Selling products to customers. Lets be candid, most do not make it here.
http://www.soshiok.com/content/not-l...kills-go-waste
This couple are biomedical graduates. Had a chance of taste their fishball noodles, its not bad really. Didn't really used the degree to make fishballs. Downstairs my house btw, ru ji kitchen


You want to follow your interest then you better dam well know the fine line between reality and passion. Know what majors you gonna do. What field of research are you looking at. Cancer research? Pathological research? Stem cells? You need to know what companies are looking for and even what are the companies to look for. You better be sure you get a FCH if your going to get the interview for a masters programme.


My advice? Its simple.
Same reason why I wouldn't take applied chemistry but chemical engineering instead.
With an engineering degree, its an iron rice bowl albeit not on par with lawyers or medicine grads but there and then, if you do well with a good engineering degree, you will be looking at

a) The companies that bio science grads are looking at.
b) Top notch engineering firms like shell, bp, glaxo smithkline, Pfizer even.
c) Finance side, i.e, the banks, Citibank, BOA, Accenture, Barclays, merrill lynch, all of which are premier firms to work at.

Remember this.
A 5.0 life science gpa gets you the interview for masters.
A 5.0 engineering degree can get you the interview for McKinsey & Company.
And if your first job is at McKinsey & Company, your first house will not...or rather cannot be a HDB according to government law in accordance with minimum/maximum income.

Think carefully.

In the past five years, at least three major pharmaceutical companies have shut down their research and development (R&D) operations here. In 2010, American pharmaceutical firm Eli Lilly and Company closed its R&D unit of 130 staff, nine years after it was set up. Three years later, United States-based Pfizer closed its clinical research unit, which was set up in 2000. It laid off 30 employees as a result. Last year, British firm GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) ended its eight-year-old R&D operations at Biopolis.

I graduated from life science 7 years ago and joined the finance industry. Looking back, that was the best decision I've made seeing how some schoolmates who are doing their postgrad now are thinking of leaving the industry but realised that they are too niched and too expensive to be hired outside science. There is also this stress of job security among them as research is heavily based on funding. Some labs are closing down or have to change direction to do research projects that are commercially viable to attract investors. It's a tough field to be in with limited opportunities and slow salary progression. Fresh biz grad in banks could get a higher pay than recent PHD graduate. So I feel unless one is really passionate abt research and is not concerned abt compensation package, don't limit yourself to a career in life science.

I think it was much easier for a life science grad to join the finance industry 7 years ago, than it is right now.

Originally Posted by Hendrix

I graduated from life science 7 years ago and joined the finance industry. Looking back, that was the best decision I've made seeing how some schoolmates who are doing their postgrad now are thinking of leaving the industry but realised that they are too niched and too expensive to be hired outside science. There is also this stress of job security among them as research is heavily based on funding. Some labs are closing down or have to change direction to do research projects that are commercially viable to attract investors. It's a tough field to be in with limited opportunities and slow salary progression. Fresh biz grad in banks could get a higher pay than recent PHD graduate. So I feel unless one is really passionate abt research and is not concerned abt compensation package, don't limit yourself to a career in life science.

Nice to hear that you managed to enter the finance industry back then. Could share with us, if you took up any additional courses in finance related to enter that field with a life science degree?

sounds like life science degree is not too good.. wonder if there is any life science grads out there doing well in science/other sector?