Geneticist

Hello, My name is Mariah and I am interesting in possibly starting a career as a geneticist. I would like to know a few things first though to help me prepare for what I am getting into. My goal is to be able to work in a lab as a geneticist. I heard you have to build up to that. So after you finish college and look for a job. What should I expect to be doing at that time and how long does it take average to move up in this career? What should I expect to do on a daily basis at work and do you who work in this field enjoy it? Any answers, advice, and suggestions would be greatly appreciated.:) thanks

MeiMei wrote:

Hello, My name is Mariah and I am interesting in possibly starting a career as a geneticist. I would like to know a few things first though to help me prepare for what I am getting into. My goal is to be able to work in a lab as a geneticist. I heard you have to build up to that. So after you finish college and look for a job. What should I expect to be doing at that time and how long does it take average to move up in this career? What should I expect to do on a daily basis at work and do you who work in this field enjoy it? Any answers, advice, and suggestions would be greatly appreciated.:) thanks

Are you planning on becoming an RA (research assistant), i.e. going right into the field after your undergraduate degree, or are you more interested in more terminal-level positions, which require more education? Are you planning on working in academia (i.e., university positions) or industry?

I am not personally a geneticist, but I can tell you lab work is a lot more tedious than it seems from the outside. You'll want to be sure you love your field before you commit yourself to the research path.

Well I haven't decided yet if I do want to be in this field or not, I have a ton of interests but thats the reason I am asking around so I can get the jest of things so I can decide what I want to do in life. I am not in college yet but once I know what I want to do then I plan to go into college. Out of this field I was thinking about biotechnology and working with dna and such. They even have a field for animal breeding which would be nice since I love animals. It would be cool to work with endangered animals.

I do know I want a career that fits me.
I been thinking about working on a animal reservation or preservation. I do love animals but I don't know if that is considered a career or just a job.

But thats why I am trying my best to research things out before I choose what I want to do.:)

and I did love doing lab work in high school and I know its harder and more time consuming than being in school. I think it is something I am interesting in doing. I am more of a hands-on learner too. And working in a lab seems to have alot of hands on stuff.

MeiMei wrote:

Well I haven't decided yet if I do want to be in this field or not, I have a ton of interests but thats the reason I am asking around so I can get the jest of things so I can decide what I want to do in life. I am not in college yet but once I know what I want to do then I plan to go into college. Out of this field I was thinking about biotechnology and working with dna and such. They even have a field for animal breeding which would be nice since I love animals. It would be cool to work with endangered animals.
I do know I want a career that fits me.
I been thinking about working on a animal reservation or preservation. I do love animals but I don't know if that is considered a career or just a job.
But thats why I am trying my best to research things out before I choose what I want to do.:)
and I did love doing lab work in high school and I know its harder and more time consuming than being in school. I think it is something I am interesting in doing. I am more of a hands-on learner too. And working in a lab seems to have alot of hands on stuff.

If you like animals and want to work on a reservation or something of that ilk, you could go into conservation biology, or even environmental studies. My college minor is biotechnology, and I can say it's definitely a growing field.

I found the best way to narrow down interests is to take quite a few different courses in college and see which interest you the most. Ask professors if you can spend some time in their labs so you can see what they do. How real labs operate is much different than the impression you get from high school lab work. Research moves painfully slowly, and you often won't see results for months (depending on your field).

Thanks I shall do that :)
So conservation biology and environmental studies. Got it :D So how is biotechnology? It does seem interesting when I read about it.
I first have to find a college before I do anything. I plan to look into every course before I choose exactly what I want to do. Photography was a first but I know I can't make much of a living doing photography so I decided to leave that as a hobby.

Thanks for helping me out. You been a great help. I appreciate it.:)