What are the career options after completing the graduation (B.Sc./B.Tech) in Biotechnology?
By Azim Shaikh
MSc Biotechnology, Ex-Employee- Macleods Pharmaceuticals Limited
Biotechnology is an emerging field in India. It offers wide range of employment opportunities hence many students are choosing biotechnology over classical life sciences i.e. zoology and botany. But biotechnology has few limitations that you must know. India is far behind other developed nations in terms of biotechnological development. The employment opportunities in core area is very limited and may not be suitable for everyone. But on the other side, many allied areas are growing in India and government is also encouraging sustainable industrial development. This has created numerous employment opportunities for recent graduates. Government is also promoting paid internships in private sectors and financially aiding privates companies to train young minds. I recommend you to visit your district government employment office for information about paid internship/training.
I will be enlisting all major options you will have after completing your graduation in biotechnology.
M.Sc. in allied sciences
Educational unemployment is very high in India which unfortunately means millions of graduates competing for limited job opportunities. The only way to stand out in crowd is by having a post-graduate degree. Yes that means investing whole two more years in college. You can equip yourself with special niche academic degree which is usually not recommended at graduation level. An M.Tech or MSc in agriculture biotechnology, diary technology, pharmaceutical biotechnology, industrial biotechnology, bio-nano technology, food technology or an MBA in biotechnology are few niche PG degrees that can train you to build career in your desired field.
PG specifically MSc opens your door for many national and state level government exams such as CSIR-NET, GATE-BT, GATE-X, SET/SLET, DBT-BET etc.
Academic research or Industrial R&D
Many biotech and pharmaceutical companies hire biotech graduates for their R&D departments. There is enormous demand for industrially trained biotech graduates. The training can be taken as part of paid or unpaid internship during or after graduation. Some universities have mandated the industrial internship as part of their curriculum. One such university is VNSG University in Gujarat. Professors in universities facilitate the process of finding suitable internship opportunities for the students. If you are in good term with your professor then I would advice you to reach them out. Many HR managers are in contact with professors and they do hire people based on professors' recommendations.
For academic research, one must have at least masters degree although candidates with PhD always have edge for academic research. This white collar job is not easy to get. There isn't enough government biotech colleges to meet the demand of influx of PhD holders. You will have to heavily rely on private colleges for your academic career. Most private colleges pay very less and ask you to perform a lot of non-academic works. But you get to do research in your area of interest unlike industrial R&D departments where you just serve the company's interest.
Pharmaceutical Industry
Indian pharma industry is growing day by day and they are hiring a lot of biotech graduates. Perhaps this sector is the second most common choice after teaching for biotech graduates. Many biotech graduates work as officer in Quality Control or Quality Assurance department. Some companies hire biotech gradates for production as well as for R&D department. Many graduates work initially as a trainee, junior officer or operator in this sector. Some pharmaceutical companies specifically hire biotech candidates for fermentation department. If you want to know more about fermentation department then read this article Is Fermentation the Future of India's Biotech and Pharmaceutical Sectors?
Teaching
Many biotech gradates desire to be teacher specifically government teacher. Indians have very positive opinion about government jobs in general. To become government teacher you need to have B.Ed. (Bachelor of Education) degree in addition to your biotech degree (BSc/MSc/B.Tech). With B.Ed. under your belt you are eligible for government school teacher exams such as CTET or State TET. Once you qualify those exams you will be assigned either TGT (Trained graduate Teacher) or PGT (Post Graduate Teacher) position. TGTs teach classes from 6th standard to 9th Standard while a PGT teaches at 9th to 12th standard. For TGT you need B.Ed. with graduation (BSc/BTech) and for PGT one must have MSc/MTech in addition to B.Ed.
While in private schools, you can directly work without needing to qualify any such exam or even requirement of B.Ed. is relaxed for right talent.
Medical Coding
Medical coding is another field in which life-science graduates can work. Medical coders work in hospitals where they translate patients information into standardized codes. Medical coding is essential for accurate record-keeping and ensuring smooth processing of insurance claims from the hospital's end. Although a career in this field may not offer as much growth potential as the pharmaceutical industry, it provides a stable and livable income, which is especially important in today's economic scenario.
Bio-Entrepreneurship
Although highly risky and a long-term commitment, Entrepreneurship in biotechnology can be a promising choice if you have a business-oriented mindset. And now it has become easier as many government and private institutes and VCs are funding biotech projects. An idea and a map for execution is just required. he possibilities in this field are limitless. You could venture into producing secondary metabolites from algal cultures or start manufacturing probiotics for livestock. Or perhaps arrange plan for production of vegan meat considering India has the largest number of vegetarian population. Keep in mind that starting such a venture requires significant investment, patience, and time.
Government Job
Although there are very few Biotech specific government jobs, but being graduate you become eligible for all the government exam that at least require bachelor's degree. If you excel in Math, Reasoning, and Logic, you've already covered nearly 50% of your exam preparation. You can enroll in UPSC or State PSC exam or even try banking related ones too. There are numerous people who prepare for this exams even working at a biotech company as government job is always lucrative. Many people prepare for these exams while working at biotech companies, as government jobs remain highly lucrative.
Marketing
Most life science companies prefer hiring individuals with a life science degree for their marketing departments. Having in-depth knowledge of the products is always beneficial for someone who work in marketing department. Marketing itself is very large field. You can work as a content creator for a life science company or take up a role in a call center if you are confident about your communication skills. You can even work as a counselor for a life-science company.
Patent Officer
You can work as a patent facilitator or patent officer. Patent officer ensures that inventions meet patentability requirements through reviewing patent applications, conducting prior searches, and communicating with applicants and attorneys. There is very less competition in this field and the pay scale is very high. You can enroll in free/paid online courses related to this role which will equip you to work in this field.
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