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CAREERS IN BIOTECHNOLOGY

Career Exploration Series

Friday, 4th February 2022

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Careers in Biotechnology �Agenda

  • Welcome and Agenda - Josie Sette
  • Biotechnology in the Bay Area - Josie Sette
  • Student presentation I - Arlyne Bautista
  • Student presentation II - Kevin Recinos
  • Q&A session

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Biotechnology in the Bay Area

3,390 life sciences employers, of which about 50% have fewer than 50 employees

Source: BIOCOM 2020 California Economic Impact Report

San Francisco Bay Area Largest life sciences cluster in the world.

High growth, thriving industry

Employing

145,190 workers

Workers’ average earnings: $172,116/year

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  • Universities
  • Government agencies
  • Research institutes
  • Medical labs
  • Non-profits
  • Pharmaceutical companies
  • Biotech
  • Medical devices and equipment
  • Agriculture
  • Industrial manufacturing
  • Bioscience-related sales

Where can I start a career?

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What can I do with a biotech certificate, AS or BS degree?

  • Manufacturing Technician and Associate
  • Research Assistant
  • Lab Technician
  • QC Technician
  • Media Preparation Technician
  • Biomedical Technician
  • Instrumentation/Calibration Technician
  • Lab Automation Technician
  • Chemical Technician
  • Greenhouse Technician
  • Animal Technician
  • Labeling and Packaging Operations
  • Documentation Specialist
  • Sales, Marketing, Product Support

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What do biotech jobs pay?

Source: COE 2020 Life Sciences/Biotechnology Report

Biotechnology jobs

2019

Entry level yearly earnings

Biological Technicians

$44,450

Biomanufacturing

Technicians and Associates

$53,373

Quality Control Analysts

$47,237

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Biotechnology

The use of biological knowledge and modern technologies, to make useful products from living organisms and biological processes

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Biotechnology is a broad discipline with many uses

  • New pharmaceuticals, therapies
  • New diagnostic techniques
  • Personalized medicine
  • Testing and medical labs
  • Stem cell research
  • Bioinformatics
  • Forensic biotechnology
  • Biofuels
  • Agricultural biotechnology
  • Industrial biotechnology
  • Environmental cleanup
  • Related distribution
  • New medical devices, equipment, and mobile technology

Biology

Chemistry

Engineering

Bio-

chemistry

Chemical

engineering

Bio-

engineering

Biotechnology

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Examples: Biologics

Manufacturing pharmaceuticals using living cells

Biologics to fight cancer

Herceptin bound to HER2

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Examples: Drug and gene therapies

CAR-T Cell Therapy

CRISPR Cas-9

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Examples: Vaccines

mRNA Vaccines

to combat COVID-19

Image credit: http://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2015/rna-vaccines-a-novel-technology-to-prevent-and-treat-disease/

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Examples: Stem cell research

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Examples: Bioinformatics

DNA Diagnostics

Tracing causes of genetic diseases

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Examples: Agriculture

Meat substitutes

Lab-produced silk

Sustainable clothing and leather made from plants and mushrooms

Improved agriculture

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Examples: Biofuels

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Examples: Environmentally-friendly products

Production of environmentally-

friendly enzymes for detergent

Oil- and plastic-eating bacteria for environmental cleanup

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Identifying your ideal job

18

Your skills

Your interests /

values / goals

Salary

Benefits

Job availability

Your

Ideal Job

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What’s important to know when researching a biotech career?

  • What do you like to do?
  • What do you find interesting?
  • What do you value?
    • Regular work hours
    • Good benefits
    • Employer that shares your values
    • Job has positive impact on the environment / public health / people’s lives
  • Where do you want to live?
    • What jobs can be found there?
    • What do those jobs pay?

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Essential hands-on skills for laboratory personnel

  • General laboratory techniques

  • Laboratory instrumentation, equipment, and safety

  • Mixing solutions, buffers, and media

  • Chemistry

  • Math skills (basic Algebra)

  • Computer skills and documentation

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Soft skills for success

  • Flexibility, time management
  • Effective oral and written communication
  • Business communication such as e-mails, resumes and cover letters, documentation of lab work
  • Collaboration / Team player
  • Integrity in the workplace
  • Can-do positive attitude, sense of humor
  • Multitasking
  • Understanding customers’ point of view
  • Creative problem solving skills
  • Digital literacy

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Do you want to do rewarding work?

  • Develop drugs that promise to benefit mankind
  • Develop cures for the most debilitating diseases, save lives
  • Help to clean up pollution / restore the environment
  • Find sustainable solutions to food production problems

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What’s the pathway to employment?

High School

Community College

Biotechnology certificate

or AS degree

Solano College

BS BioManufacturing

CSU or UC

BA or BS

Biology / Microbiology

Industry

job

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The cost of college tuition*

Community College

Certificate or AS

@ $46/unit

(60 units) = $2,760

Solano College

BS BioManufacturing

$130/unit

(2 years w/AS) = $7,800

CSU or UC

BA or BS Biology / Microbiology

$14,000 full-time

(2 years w/AS) = $28,000

* (Does not include other costs: housing, etc.)

High School

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Career growth opportunities in biotech

Source: COE 2020 Life Sciences/Biotechnology Report

Biospace Life Sciences Salary Report, July 2020

Biotechnology jobs

2019 yearly earnings

Biological Technicians

$44,450

Biomanufacturing

Technicians and Associates

$53,373

Quality Control Analysts

$47,237

Research Associate

$61,230

Research Associate II

$72,560

Associate Scientist

$84,135

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What Bay Area schools have Biotechnology programs?

College

AS Degree

BS Degree Biomanufacturing

Biomanufacturing certificate

Biotechnlogy certificate

Stem Cell Technology certificate

Histotechnology certificate

Solano

X

X

X

X

X

Berkeley City

X

 

X

 

 

City College of San Francisco

X

 

X

X

 

Cabrillo

 

 

 

X

 

 

Contra Costa

X

 

 

X

 

 

Laney

X

 

X

 

 

Merritt

 

 

 

 

X

Ohlone

X

 

X

X

 

 

Skyline

X

 

X

X

 

 

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More information on these websites

Josie Sette: jsette@Ohlone.edu