But people's got a life to think off and money, sadly, play a major role in it....

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Added on June 1, 2011, 10:33 pmBut people's got a life to think off and money, sadly, play a major role in it....

This post has been edited by cutejams2004: Jun 1 2011, 10:33 PM

The pay is low for scientist everywhere? Maybe, but there are so much more factor contribute to happiness in workplace. Biotech job is the happiest job in USA. http://blogs.forbes.com/meghancasserly/201...ers-in-america/

Yes you do it is because of interest, I really buy the idea. I understand the feeling of forgetting the time passed when I m so enthusiastic in completing my task and fulfill my satisfaction. That was the feeling I feel in lab during my final year project. 50 times of failure in PCR, emotions run ups and downs but the result, satisfy me.
Marketing or sales of course can be as cool as lab. I said so Maybe because I have bad experience in lab whereas u have a fantastic experience in your school's lab. Your coolest uniform is lab coat but my coolest uniform is dresses. People are different due to different background and experience. Please dun judge solely by ur own experience.
Science is the savior for our world, especially biotech, it fuel the world, feed the world and cure the world. But marketing/ business peoples also an important player in this industry to translate our R&D output to a picture/concept that can be accepted by the public. This industry somehow needs the right people to tell the right words at the right time. There is no dishonour job only dishonour man.

well said... the interpretation of cool is depend on your interest.
just do whatever u r passionate of, and live with no regrets.
money is forever not enough.

Actually pay is pretty low for postdocs in the US if you compare with here (Australia), which is still low. (Unless, of course, you mean private industry) Even a plumber can make more money than us, seriously.

As for PCR for 50 times, we've all been through that at some point of our lab career. If you think about it, the technical aspect of science is mostly troubleshooting, and keep trying until you 'perfect' the method, although there are tasks that can be extremely challenging e.g. I am keen on developing a new surgical method (for animal model) which at this stage is still in its infancy.

Still, the most interesting aspect about it is not the techniques themselves, but how you come up with solutions to your problems. This is where creativity and novelty kick in, and the experience is extremely satisfying when you can prove your approach works.

Anyway I never said marketing is not good. It was my opinion and clearly stated that I disagreed with your opinion. Therefore, it was merely my opinion that I think science is so much more interesting and satisfying than marketing. Period.

This post has been edited by tester: Jun 3 2011, 11:18 PM

Need any help in PCR???

lol for interest.. haha

more like thats the only thing biotech grads can do unless go do some general job which might pay even higher

but most ppl will stick to the thinking that since they study in this field then going to other non related field will be a waste or something like dat

For this field, better get a postgraduate degree and work as a researcher. Bachelor won't do much for you.

Sadly to say, Malaysia is not very research based. So far i notice, only universities and very little overseas or local company that are doing research here. Therefore, places for biotech students is very limited. Moreover, some research that biotech is doing, engineering is doing as well, and other science based course such as chemistry or biology are doing as well. Y not much companies out there to do research?
1st - its not very profitable (nice investment, low profit) - research is die or live
2nd - lack of support/investment (from govt or private) - we are more in industrial based (ppl invest and build factory - mostly semicon and oil and gas)
3rd - malaysia are very much far behind in terms of research compared to other countries
I do not know which field Malaysia is good at....
in terms of agricutural, we are far behind Thailand and Indonesia
in terms of biologly - this one no need to say la..haha..wayyyy back...
in terms of environment - this one also behind..we only look after our trees...
what else ah? hahaha.. not sure...
I'm a Chemical Engineering graduate, my FYP is hydrogen production from miroalgae. Imagine, this research is done way back 60 years ago...but no university currently doing this research...that's y its difficult for me to look for reference in Malaysia, i have to look and ask overseas. I think my work is kinda biotech. haha..
Anyhow, to me i think the only place for Biotech students in Malaysia for now is gonna be Masters then PHD...we are lack of lecturers i think..haha..Nevertheless, our country have a big source of any materials u want for research...very very big potential here.. hopefully some organization can bloom our biotech sector... all the best

Hmm.

I'm just wondering, what are the general challenges biotech graduates are currently facing now when applying for jobs? So far from the posts, what I've gathered are:

(i) Not enough research posts
(ii) Few known biotech companies in Malaysia
(iii) Money not enough (i.e. low pay)
(iv) Companies not hiring because not "specialized" degree/relevant skill-sets

Any thing else? Please do add to the list, if any.

As far as I know, there are 364 biotech companies in Malaysia, and another 3 more MNCs will be added to that list by 2012. Those listed on BiotechCorp's website are only the 188 companies with 'BioNexus' status, and are mostly pioneering companies, rather than mature ones. If you use that list as a basis of finding biotech-related jobs, then the chances for disappointment is comparatively higher.

This is my personal experience in the Malaysian biotech industry:

After graduating from Monash in 2006, I was initially hired by a phytopharma company. The job was very different from what I specialized in (developmental genetics), and so I decided to leave the company at the end of my 3-month probation period. Partly, it was due to a job offer I received from a Dutch-Malaysian company to be their plant breeder/seed technologist. As of October 2010, I've joined another company involved with the biotech industry as an intelligence officer. Just for information sake, my salary has made the following progression: RM1,800 => RM2,200 - RM 3,000 => RM3,300. It is low, but that's just my taxable salary. My remuneration package (which is largely non-taxable) makes my total income a lot more higher, eg. guaranteed "hardship" pay of RM10,000 or minimum 6-months salaray a year; free housing and utility; non-taxable subsidies amounting to RM200-RM300 a month etc. In addition, for a person who is classified as a "knowledge worker", there are tax rebates to enjoy. The nett result is my real income is closer to RM4,000 - RM5,000 a month.


Admittedly, being more business-oriented, the level of fundamental research for the 364-odd companies are lower. Also, companies moving from SME-status to mature status tend to be very picky and particular about the kind of skill-sets and training local graduates posses. I'm not sure how many graduates are aware about the Biotechnology Entreprenuership Special Training Program (BeST), but just as well to note it here. It is a 6-month intense training program aimed at preparing graduates for the local biotech industry needs. Usually, graduates are attached with an industry partner, which may be local or foreign (including overseas training), and most often, trainees gain job offers after completing the training stint at those companies/agencies. Since 2007 till end 2010, 1,040 graduates have opted to go through the program, with 650 of them securing jobs, while the rest them going on to develop start-ups within and outside Malaysia, or continuing with further studies.


I recall coming across someone mentioning that biotech is a "specialized" field. I would like to clarify that "biotech" is not actually a field of its own, but rather a conglomeration of various fields. And yes, a "biotech" graduate can hardly be considered a specialist in any one field. But I would add that a biotech graduate should also be more capable of looking at the bigger picture, of how to link different fields together in a synergistic fashion. For instance, a boiler engineer would likely know how to build stack fermentors, calibrate those fermentors etc., but would likely know little about optimising cell activity, input/output efficiency, biocontrol and metabolic rates etc. Likewise, a chemist might have a better understanding about chemical reactions and synthesization, but likely know little about mechanical assembly etc. The lack of knowledge in the other field does not affect the specific role of those workers, but it does affect the overall work efficiency and productivity of the business entity. This is were the "biotechnologist" comes in: as a coordinator and synergiser of those overlapping fields, a sort of "go-between". Biotechnology is an applied science after all.


I would like to add the comments from some biotech companies about our local graduates. These are MNCs and some local players; most of them admit that local graduates do have good knowledge of the sciences, but lack applicable skills or are too academic instead of industry-poised. Personally, I've been involved with the training of local biotech graduates when they came for BeST training in my previous company, and from first-hand experience, I can vouche for the legitimacy of these comments. Most of the graduates I've trained start-off with the wrong impression about biotechnology. As I've mentioned before, biotechnology is an applied science (i.e. research AND development), but most seem to have the idea that it is a fundamental science (i.e. all about research). Maybe it is also the fault of the universities that produced the graduates, but almost every graduate I've encountered wants to do fundamental research only, rather than finding ways of commercializing research findings. As for "Biotech not as good as government said", I must add this: Malaysia has achieved in less that a decade what other countries have been working on for 30 years or more. Even today, a very large component of US and EU biotech companies are still start-ups, with very few percentage of mature companies; and the biotech industry there started 50-60 years ago. Biotech in India started in the 1980s, and only today are these companies attaining some level of maturity and profitability. Yes, admittedly, certain quarters have over-hyped the biotech industry in Malaysia, but it does not mean the industry is all gloom and doom. The industry is growing at a rate of between 15%-20% per annum (depending on sector), with most of the growth being in healthcare biotech and industrial biotech. It is one of the country's fastest growing economic area, and is likely to overtake other sectors in the very near future.

This post has been edited by Michael J.: Sep 20 2011, 11:57 AM

I am a graduate of Food Biotechnology so of course my specialization is in food. I joined BeST program for 5 months then offered a job in food industry. Mainly focus in quality assurance/control. No related to research at all. it's since I'm not 100% interested in research work at the first place. Studying is ok but for work, not really. But I'm not saying I'm happy with my job right now. It's just...you know, I need to make a living and put some experience in my resume.

My other BeST colleagues were biotech graduate, most couldn't find job till now. I don't know the exact problem but from their story they're focusing too much in research field. I bet they also don't know what they want to research at. they just want to continue from what they've done for their thesis. there's one time when we're having an impromptu meeting during BeST program about what field in research we want to commercialized if given a chance. and they keep telling about field that related to their final year project (and yes...most their FYP are in the same area of research).

what i want to say is don't limit your skills to certain knowledge only. During BeST program, we've been exposed to sooooo many area of biotech that can be explore. So, you couldn't get a job in let's say tissue culture related work, doesn't mean you don't have any other choice. Just explore any opportunity you have. Maybe, your interest will change after experiencing new field in what you specialized at.

WHere do u work as a researcher? There are no companies hiring u as researcher in malaysia.

The only path u can go after phd is lecturer and its equivalent to researcher. Unless your researcher means working as research officer under your lecturer. That would be stupid since u can be the lecturer instead of the worker.

I kinda regret taking biotech too . hard to find job and normally end up getting a non-related job.

I've been switching from Medical Lab Tech from a local healthcare company to QA in a local food manufacturing company. Meanwhile, I am also doing part-time teaching and I enjoy teaching kids. Now, I am having a second thought of finding another sales job to gain more exposure as I feel I am wasting time in my current co. learning and doing nth much here. sigh T.T

it is ok, many having the same situation like u.

my fren also grad from biotech but end up be production planner

All I can say is that the local university did not prepare biotech graduates for the entrepreneurship. Being a freelance tech support, I do find that most of the graduates are lacking of research skills as well. This problem only arise due to the lack of quality training from the universities.

difference between a science gradute and a business graduate (from my point of view):

when in college/university, science students
1. have to pay high tuition fees for all the expensive lab usage and equipments
2. not having enough sleep because have to do lots of lots of lab reports and assignments
3. do revision memorizing the keywords in textbook, but still hardly score A for exam

business students
1. relatively paying lesser tuition fees than science courses
2. not having enough sleep because no much assignments and hangout all day with friends till midnight
3. start doing revision just 1 week/1 day before the exam and manage to score A for most of the subjects

and this imba continues when science graduate have to work for low pay + long working hours + high stress job,
while business graduate can have high pay + normal working hours + off on weekends + have a life

Adrian:

I agree with you in part. It is true, local institutions do not provide adequate training for industry specification. But it is also attitude. Attitude on the part of the students, and also the trainers. Some students are really keen to learn, but there are also quite a large proportion who only do what they feel like doing.

Example: You want to get involved in agriculture, then you got to be ready to get in the dirt, walk under the blazing sun, get soaked in the rain. You might be a science student, but if you do not what happens in the field, you will never be a good agriculture scientist.

Also, a very sickening attitude amongst many industry members is their "tidak-apa" attitude towards training. To many of them, a trainee is more of a burden than an opportunity to nurture a future leader. A very recent comment I received from a supposedly high-level agency, "Industrial training students ah? We usually don't have time for them, so we let them do the little-little unimportant things. Anyway, they are only here for a few months."

Fortunately, some aspects are beginning to change. I've had some recent graduates come up to me with very sharp questions and ideas; in addition, we're seeing more industry members being open to really training students for industry needs. There could still be some measure of hope yet.

Bellarina:

Someone in the forum had stated, "companies don't pay scientists well". Firstly, if I remember correctly, the pursuit of science used to be about the enrichment of knowledge and the advancement of the human race, not so much about money and fame. It is only since the last 40-50 years when big corporations started sponsoring science that every scientific pursuit had to bring with it some kind of commercial value. Personally, and this is just my opinion, if a person prefers chasing after money, then science may not be for them regardless of how good they are at it. If they still want to pursure science, and make big money, then they really need to find a way to merge the two in order to succeed.

I don't know which business grads you are citing, but those I know put in 14 hours a day at work, including weekends. And they come up with applicable, real-life immediate solutions for the companies they work with, instead of theorectical "potential" solutions. That's the only reason I find which earns them their 5-figure salaries.

Knight:

Spot on. Do a 2-dollar job, get a 2-dollar pay. Also, one needs to compare apples-to-apples. Can't say an apple is lousy just because it isn't as juicy as a watermelon.



Someone once came up to me with a statement, "Mike, you know in Australia, there are jobs where your sole duty is to push buttons, and you get paid AUS$4,000 a month". I had to remind the guy that although that is true, and the job may seem simple enough, but just imagine for a moment the consequences if something goes wrong. The responsibility of the "guy who pushes the buttons" is very high, and if things do go wrong, and they do, it is his head on the chopping block. Worse, as the job is perceived as "simple", who is going to hire him once word gets out that he can't even do a "simple" job?

Hello guys, I've been reading the posts here for the last two pages, I've been offered a scholarship in Biotechnology in Taylor's University, I am wondering though, since Malaysia does not offer a very good job opportunity, which is unfortunate. Is there anyone here that anyone of you all working in Canada with a Biotech grad in the Biotech field?

JPA scholarship to Canada for biotech?

Nay, if JPA I wouldn't be asking about working in Canada now would I? It's an internal scholarship by Taylor's.. decided to reject it.

My sister graduate from South Australian univ in biomedical science on scholarship and came back malaysia. Now in a mnc here as microbiologist going to specialize in a field soon. You want to be in this field. You need to know which univ to be in. Not simply any mak cik univ also can. If you go lousy univ, sure you won't be able to compete with those grad from oversea, probably getting lousy pay? Employer in this field look at your univ first only your degree. True story.