Future of genetics

PrecariousNuts

I was just wondering what do you think the future for genetic research is like? Will therapeutic cloning and reproductive cloning have become accepted or will there still be major opposition especially by those who feel it is not right to kill an embyro for stem cells etc.

I'm asking because I wanted to know if doing a degree in human genetics in Trinity would be a complete waste of time. I don't really want to walk into a dead end degree like computer science etc is now. And I'm not sure if I want to go into an area where so little is known that the only possible work is in vague research areas.

What do you think?

Also while I'm asking do you know of what sort of work one could get with such a degree?

GuanYin

Originally posted by PrecariousNuts
I was just wondering what do you think the future for genetic research is like? Will therapeutic cloning and reproductive cloning have become accepted or will there still be major opposition especially by those who feel it is not right to kill an embyro for stem cells etc.

I'm asking because I wanted to know if doing a degree in human genetics in Trinity would be a complete waste of time. I don't really want to walk into a dead end degree like computer science etc is now. And I'm not sure if I want to go into an area where so little is known that the only possible work is in vague research areas.

What do you think?

Also while I'm asking do you know of what sort of work one could get with such a degree?

I don't think it makes much of a difference as to what happens with cloning as regards job prospects. Genetics isn't dead end at all and really, molecular (by which I mean genetic) approaches are being applied to all sorts of areas and problems.

It depends on what you want to do really. I don't know why you think genetic research is vague, I know people working in genetics research areas covering everything from ageing to treating baldness to studying viruses and combating cancers.

Outside genetics research there a regulatory and industry positions that take you away from the lab and into a more office like environment, work in a hospital medical laboratory or leave you in a drone like QC/QA jobs depending on what you want yourself.

Whether or not you'd like it is a different story. As with all LC-ers I advice professional career guidance. It costs about 50 quid a session I think and to be honest its well worth it. If you are going to dedicate 3-4 years of your life to something you should have a very good idea of the details and scope of the course, the job prospects and avenues you can go down with the degree and whether you would eb suited or really interestd in these details. The broad overview and description of a course and what you actuall end up doing can be very very different, so don't be fooled by prospectus. If you can talk to someone doing the course.

All in all, if you want to do research you could do worse than that degree. Trinity is often a closed enough shop for postgraduates so thats an advantage, and a genetics major will get you into most types of biological research. Its all down to enthusiasm and what the scientist who takes you on sees your potential ability as. You'd most likely need a 2:1 or higher from your degree (a 65% or higher average).

What is it you want to do, or wwhat are you mainly interested in?

PrecariousNuts

Well I have a great interest in science in general so I wouldn't have a problem with research but I would be worried about the money aspect. I've been told that research doesn't pay too well. Can you confirm or otherwise?

My original plan was to do a pharmacy degree, possibly more and set up my own business after a while, but pharmacy seems to be the "in" thing at the moment and I don't want to enter a flooded market. I don't really think you could do the same with a genetics degree.

What sort of work would you get in a hospital lab?

Also what do you mean by " Trinity is often a closed enough shop for postgraduates so thats an advantage"?

GuanYin

Originally posted by PrecariousNuts
Well I have a great interest in science in general so I wouldn't have a problem with research but I would be worried about the money aspect. I've been told that research doesn't pay too well. Can you confirm or otherwise?

My original plan was to do a pharmacy degree, possibly more and set up my own business after a while, but pharmacy seems to be the "in" thing at the moment and I don't want to enter a flooded market. I don't really think you could do the same with a genetics degree.

What sort of work would you get in a hospital lab?

Also what do you mean by " Trinity is often a closed enough shop for postgraduates so thats an advantage"?

Welll......... money all depends.

On a quick aside, Pharmacy is not the career for a scientific mind (If my GF ever reads this I'm dead). Both community and hospital pharmacists are overpaid shop keepers (I was actually bitching about the woman who runs the pharmacy where I work) and although the responsability is high, the actual brain output isn't. Industry pharmacy can look at production management or research, usually (almost always) into pharmaceutics. Very few Irish pharmacists take this route because basically the money is better in community pharmacy and they only ever did it for the money in the first place. Pharmacy will never be a flooded market in this country, with the new degree in cork there are still only just over 100 graduates a year.

Now, back to research. One of the questions that turns me off a prospective postgrad is one regarding money. If you are worried about the money, don't doa postgrad and stay away from research. Its not that you won't earn it. You can earn alot if you're good enough or lucky enough. However, thats not a guarentee.
The average postgraduate salary in genetics is about 14K take free nowadays, with a fully qualified postdoctoral researcher expecting to start on about 35K before tax. From then on in your money and opportunities will reflect how good and how ambitious you are. Personally I love research general, I am my own boss, I travel frequently, meet lots of people who I used to read about in school and college and actually do things which contributes to society. Its also competitive and cutting edge, one of my competitors recently scooped me (read here) , it was heartbreaking but it showed that what I was doing mattered. I get paid good money, but I turned down a 25% extra rise in the UK recently because what I was doing here was more interesting. You actually have to believe in what you are doing to make it in research.

If you want to go into industry or set up your own business its easy enough in research. I know a few people in biotech start ups. I've been offered a consultancy in one and I have a joint patent with another. Its down to the innovation and dedication of the person not the persons degree.

As for hospitals, jobs there would probably be as medical lab technicians, analysing biological samples from patients, or maybe as a research assistant, not a PhD but a "helper" who contributes to research projects on a whole (I have one and the lab wouldn't run without her).

What I meant about Trinity, is that researchers there tend to favour trinity graduates when hiring postgrad students. Its the only college I've seen with a pretty obvious closed shop policy (there are exceptions, but on the whole most trinity postgrads in biological science are trinity graduates in science).

PrecariousNuts

I would not mind doing research at all, the prospect of being your own boss, travelling, and meeting new people sounds very tempting. But say if you did perfect that chemical barrier would you own the patent? Would that make you a fair bit of money in itself?

The biotech start ups... what would they actually do?

PrecariousNuts

Do researchers often give lectures? (I was reading your journal) You make it out to seem very interesting. Fair play on actually getting them to talk about it in the canteen!

GuanYin

Originally posted by PrecariousNuts
I would not mind doing research at all, the prospect of being your own boss, travelling, and meeting new people sounds very tempting. But say if you did perfect that chemical barrier would you own the patent? Would that make you a fair bit of money in itself?

The biotech start ups... what would they actually do?

Patents are a little more complicatd than that. I don't singlehandedly create the barriers but I and the senior colleagues do hold the patents and research students get a small percentage (we're one of the few groups that do this).

As far as making money, sometimes yes asometimes no. You can get money if the diea is good enough to sell to a bigger company or if you can do something with it yourself (via a biotech start up.)

Have a look at Westgate in Ireland on the web as an example of a biotech startup. They even made a page in newscientist once.

GuanYin

Originally posted by PrecariousNuts
Do researchers often give lectures? (I was reading your journal) You make it out to seem very interesting. Fair play on actually getting them to talk about it in the canteen!

Depends, I just happen to be well qualified in an area that the headof my department doesn't want to lecture in and doesn't have anyone better. I don't ike it, but it pays nicely.

I'm not a staff lecturer, but if you work in a university you sometimes get the opportunity to lecture as a postdoc.

PrecariousNuts

I noticed a lot of ads for genomics in the back of new scientist any idea what that is? And the Superflu article this week was very interesting. I presume that a genetics degree would be grand for that sort of area? Same with the human genome one on the 21st? Same with the article by Ian Wilmut on cloning.

Oh yeah, where does the travel part come in?

littlemiss

As someone who has recently started a postgrad and finished a Science degree I thought I'd throw in my tuppence worth.
I think it is very hard to know what you want to do until you get experience in the area. I know people who were on my course who went in to do Genetics didn't like it and ended upm in computers. Aside from that once you have your degree it opens up all different avenues and you don't necessarily need to stay in the discipline you majored in. I did Pharmacology in U.C.D ( Pharmacology is not Pharmacy, it is the study of drugs and how they affect the body. You will not be able to work in a Pharmacy) I really loved it and decided to do a Postgrad and managed to get one in Pharmacology. However at the moment the techniques I am using are molecular genetics. I have a friend who did Physiology and is working in my department.
My point is you are not necessarily tied to one area but I agree with Sykes you need to research your options carefully first. Decide on your degree before worrying about a Phd because you will be interested in loads of areas along the way.

Tails

Im doing genetics in cork at the moment, i decided against doing human genetics in TCD as i didnt want to specialize too much in case i wanted to do something different, that and i didnt get the points. The situation in cork is the first year is just first science, that is physics, maths, biology and chemistry. We only did a 6 week module in gentics. Its not until the second year you start to specialize.
My way of thinking is that research isnt about only about the money but making new discoveries that can help in many ways, if you want too make good money maybe you should look elsewhere unless you are talented in the field.