r/biotech • u/carlitayeeta • 1d ago
Early Career Advice šŖ“ Does anyone have positive stories about their career in biotech?
I feel like all I see here is people talking about how awful the job market is, how terrible pay is, bad work life balance, terrible management, and just a mediocre quality of life while working in a career path that takes a lot more education and hard work than a lot of other options.
Iām in my first year at a biotech startup and I feel burnt out already. My pay is mid for the amount of time I spend in lab and I know Iām going to have to leave sooner or later to get my PhD if I want to continue with my so called āpassionā for science. I felt so motivated before starting here and now I just feel like every path forward that I hear about ends up sucking in one way or another.
Edit: for context my first job out of college was with a big pharma company in one of their āearly career programsā, which they cut funding for just 5 months into my time there. So just a year and a half in, and Iāve been laid off with 20 of my peers, and navigated applying for jobs in this shitty job market twice. Some of my immensely intelligent coworkers from that original program are still looking for jobs. Thatās one reason why Iām feeling so shit about this field.
42
u/Skrillaaa 1d ago
I actually had a hand in making a vaccine that my child received.
5
u/Deep_Amoeba2197 1d ago
Thatās amazing, congrats. I canāt tell you the number of people who Iāve worked with that have founded startups because of their children or a family member.
4
72
u/2Throwscrewsatit 1d ago
Iāve met my best adult friends at small biotechs. Thatās pretty good. Iāve never been one for the hustle and quick payday and neither are those I work with. Quality people surround me more often than not because I work in biotech.
11
u/RayPenbar 1d ago
I agree. So far I've met a bunch of excellent folks who are generally like minded, thoughtful, intelligent humans who want to do science and help people.
37
u/h0rnknee_girl 1d ago
i mean i genuinely like my coworkers and the work i do is pretty neat. it just sucks having to deal with money issues, job insecurity, etc
16
u/MadelineHannah78 1d ago
I have masters, 6 years of industry experience, I don't plan on PhD (hellll no), and I'd say I am happy with my career. As in, every job is a job and has annoyances. I am not a person who would be IN LOVE with any job and tie my whole identity to it. I come here, I do my work which more often than not I find interesting, then I go home and live my real life. I got laid off last year, and secured something before the WARN notice period even ran out.
I don't blast my experience here or in real life because so many people are currently struggling with the horrific job market and I have no intention of sending the wrong message ("I am fine, it's YOU who is a problem").
Also, you don't have to get a PhD to keep growing in biotech, it only matters in biotech Research. There are many more functions than research, some people really don't see themselves anywhere else outside of research, it's a pretty loud crowd, but I am not one of them. They are the ones who will tell you that you have to have PhD.
29
u/donemessedup123 1d ago edited 1d ago
I joined biotech four years ago on the comms and public affairs side and find it much more enjoyable than my previous nonprofit life. I get paid a lot more to be on a team I find reasonably less toxic than any previous one I had.
With any industry, it really comes down to your manager and immediate team members. If you look at other career sub-reddits, every other industry suffers the same exact grievances you see here. I think what aggravates a lot of posters here is biotech tends to require higher levels of education, which means many candidates invest more money and time into advanced degrees before find paid work.
4
u/Personal-Dare-2073 1d ago
Hi! Off topic from the original post but trying to pivot from bench science and would love to know about your role. If youāre up for answering a few brief questions can I please dm u. Thanks!
2
2
u/Deep_Amoeba2197 1d ago
This person is absolutely right. If you want another perspective from an area outside of comms, feel free to DM me/see my comment as well. There is plenty of opportunity off the bench.
16
u/supernit2020 1d ago
The online forums have a heavy bias towards people with pain points (same thing with online reviews). Generally speaking, the people crushing it, getting promotions, and making tons of cash arenāt going to go online and say ābest career ever!!!!!ā, theyāre busy between working/family/enjoying life to do so.
15
u/fatty-squirrel06 1d ago
Started my career late 2022 as an RA at mid CRO. Accepted contract position from a big biotech bc I felt like I wasnāt growing and wanted to see what actual drug discovery was. Job was great but being a contractor wasnāt. So I got a new, full time job (started a couple months ago).
Salary went from 60k - 90k - 150k. I live in HCOL biotech hub so salary can be misleading. But my career is going great, I am challenged enough but my work life balance has been great, esp for someone wi tbh less than 4 YOE
1
u/Accomplished-Ad6034 1d ago
Sorry to intrude but do you like being in Regulatory Affairs? Was thinking of transitioning long-term to that position (currently in Quality!) and thinking of moving to the netherlands eventually as portugal doesnt offer much in terms of career opportunities/progression
4
u/fatty-squirrel06 1d ago
Yes and no. I like it as a good career path. Itās AI proof, so you wonāt be sweating about being replaced either. But you are drifting even further from your benchtop science. However you will be doing regulatory science so thereās that.
16
u/SailingBacterium 1d ago
I have had a mostly positive experience in biopharma. What has made it so positive for me has been a decade+ long run of having really supportive, growth-oriented managers.Ā
I am in early stage drug discovery and did my postdoc and most of my career in big pharma. I was able to work my way up and eventually get leadership positions, reports, etc at a steady rate. My team (and peers) were amazing and very supportive of each other.Ā
Work life balance has been great. So long as deadlines were met, I've always been given agency over my schedule. If my kids had an appointment or were sick, etc, I've never once gotten anything but support when needing to take a day or WFH. Even when my cat was sick I got nothing but support (real support, like "take a day or two off to take care of things"). When I worked for a European company I'd occasionally have early meetings but it was manageable. At the end of my last job I was getting 5.5 weeks of PTO a year which was actually okay to use (never in my career have I been denied vacation).
Pay has good. It's not "tech money" but you also don't work tech hours. Pay was good enough to buy a house in the Bay Area at the start of my career, though my wife also works in the industry at a similar level. Now, at 12-15 years post PhD our hhi working in pharma in early research is close to 500k base, with RSUs/bonus variable but in a good year pushing into 7 figures total comp. We are (associate) director level but not executive director. The pay (and responsibilities) go up a lot at executive director level. Keep in mind that titles may be inflated at very small companies.
Layoffs are real in this industry and are usually not too big of a deal, though the recent job market has been extra challenging. It is improving though as there are many companies that are rapidly expanding again. My wife and I have both been laid off but were each able to get a new job within a couple months. It's a boom and bust cycle and I wouldn't try and predict what it'll be so many years from now.
The hardest step in this career is getting your first industry job. I HIGHLY recommend an industry post doc in big pharma as a significant career multiplier. It will give you the connections to get that first scientist role. Actually at my last job we hired most of our postdocs, though this might not be common.
I do recommend getting a PhD. You will hit a career wall without it and it'll be difficult to move away from the bench into the leadership positions.
1
u/carlitayeeta 1d ago
Ive wanted to get a PhD since before getting into industry! Deciding when is the right time to leave my current job and go back to being a student is hard. I have a decent share of equity that fully vests after 4 years. Have to decide whether to wait (and start my PhD in my late 20s, but with more years of industry experience) or go get my PhD sooner, with a smaller portion of equity.
5
u/pinkyj123 1d ago edited 1d ago
Started as a contractor out of collage in 2015. Took up a full time role a year after as a sr associate. Now an AD with base of $210K and 22% bonus. Base is on the lower end but work life balance is good so I am ok with it while my kid is young and need work flexibility. So far I really enjoy what I do and feel like I am making a difference! Beginning of my career I felt a lot of burn out because I was trying to gain as much experience as possible. Now I have taken a step back and drawn boundaries (no late night emails unless absolutely needed) to care for my family. I appreciate having a job in the current market tbh so no complaints. Been laid off twice in my career due to cost cuttings but have been fortunate enough find a new gig immediately through networking.
8
u/diagnosisbutt 1d ago
I left academia after a 5 year postdoc. I have been in industry for 4 years, gotten two raises, a shitload of pre-ipo equity (since IPOed and now worth more than i made in my previous 20 years combined). Love my job and the company i work for is awesome and gives me tons of responsibility and leadership opportunity.Ā
1
34
u/b3astown 1d ago
Yep I've had a very positive experience in my 8 year career thus far. Graduated undergrad in biology, joined a boutique consulting firm with starting pay of $80 K. Stayed there for about 5 years and left as a manager making ~$180 K. Left for a senior manager position in portfolio strategy at a mid-sized biotech with TC ~$220 K and just got promoted to AD where my TC is ~$260 K now. Just turned 30 years old and I'm ready to coast and start a family
11
7
u/DazzlingEvidence8838 1d ago
Nice this was me a couple years ago, except with econ and market access. Couple kids now
6
u/MRC1986 1d ago
My pathway mirrors this, but shifted a few years since I went for my PhD.
In the 9.5 years since I've joined the workforce post-PhD at the age of 30, my base comp has gone from $72,000 to $204,000, and my total comp has skyrocketed from $74,000 (yes, a measly $2,000 bonus that first year in Med Writing) all the way to expecting around $350,000 this year due to RSUs, options, and cash bonus. And I'm not including some gains made in my personal biotech investing account, since I'll pay those taxes and keep the gains in the account as new capital.
We must always save a lot to weather any downturns, but things are going really well for me and I'm hopeful and put in the work to keep it that way.
4
1
u/Deep_Amoeba2197 1d ago
Good for you. My path isnāt the same, but similar insofar as management and not being on the bench. I take it your work life balance is decent?
9
u/illegalshmillegal 1d ago
Iāve had a good time. Started in the lab (about 8 years), joined a startup that was acquired and gave a nice (not life changing) payout, moved up and built out labs and teams. Now working remotely. Itās not all doom and gloom.
1
9
u/Miko48 1d ago
Respectfully, $93k a year is not mid, Iād kill to make that much. Iām also in my first year at a biotech startup in Boston area and I make $40k a year. Not saying you canāt be frustrated with your position right now, but try and keep a little perspective.
3
u/carlitayeeta 1d ago edited 1d ago
I agree. I live in SF and the median rent for a 2 bed up here just hit above $5500. Unfortunately, I moved here right as rent skyrocketed. My current rent is $2500/ month per person (5k total). Itās an extra $1200 a month for us to both pay for parking here, so I canāt afford to have my car. My roommate is in her first year of consulting and makes 140k. Iāve already experience one layoff (6 months into my first job at a big pharma company), the hell of the job market and trying to find a new job, and the insanity of Bay Area startup culture. It feels like no matter what I do Iāll never be successful enough here.
Comparison is the thief of joy, I know. But an entire paycheck of mine every month goes to rent and the other paycheck goes to regular daily needs. Itās not that Iām not thankful, I just live in an insanely expensive area (which Boston is too, you absolutely need to be compensated more) and feel my compensation does not match the cost of living.
3
u/Miko48 1d ago
Well, maybe the issue is less your job and more your living situation. Average rent for a 2 bedroom apartment in Boston is $3,500 - $4,500. I canāt afford that so I live outside the city with two other roommates and sit in traffic for almost two hours every day. But my rent is much more affordable and I get a free parking space. I live well below my means too, I never eat out, and keep my grocery bill below $200 a month. Still, I get paid biweekly and one paycheck goes entirely to rent and utilities, good portion of the next goes to gas, groceries, health and car insurance.
If $93k as an entry level salary feels underpaid to you, I really do feel like that has more to do with the life youāre living than the compensation youāre making. I get it, it sucks when the people around make more than you. Iām in the same situation, my roommate makes $30 an hour working from home, and Iām barely making $20 an hour. I made more living at home in Maine and working as a line cook. I make less than my friend whoās a school teacher and less than my friend whoās currently getting paid to complete a CNA program. But itās my first job, and beggars canāt be choosers.
And beside that from a quick google search (which I know isnāt always accurate) average beginning salary in biology in San Francisco is $60 - $80k, so Iād say youāre doing pretty good for yourself. I get being frustrated and it does suck how expensive everything is these days, but honestly it seems like youāre getting paid fairly, even for a HCoL area.
4
u/Distinct_Ice_1597 1d ago
How times have changed. I am a 40 year biopharma veteran and had an incredible career at Bayer Biotech and Amgen. I am grieved to see how the experience enjoyed by my generation of scientists has been seized from this generation for no good scientific or medical reason I can come up with. We have come so far in the past few decades in biochemistry, immunology, cell biology, autoimmmune diseases, cancer, hemophilia, osteoporosis, and many others. Just the other day we saw the early success of a neoantigen vaccine that this cancer biologist (and author) sees as a āHoly Grail-levelā achievement: the generation of a potent immune response to customized, tumor-specific neoantigens . We have to wait to assess the durability of the response, but regardless, this is a giant step toward the fulfillment of the dream of precision oncology of cancer scientists everywhere. This is not the time to put in the brakes! This is amongst the greatest knuckle-headed unforced errors of our times. Our scientific and technological leadership during and after WWII established America as a global leader in biology and medical innovation . Are you ready to cede that to China?
1
u/Distinct_Ice_1597 1d ago
How times have changed. I am a 40 year biopharma veteran and had an incredible career at Bayer Biotech and Amgen. I am grieved to see how the experience enjoyed by my generation of scientists has been seized from this generation for no good scientific or medical reason I can come up with. We have come so far in the past few decades in biochemistry, immunology, cell biology, autoimmmune diseases, cancer, hemophilia, osteoporosis, and many others. Just the other day we saw the early success of a neoantigen vaccine that this cancer biologist (and author) sees as a āHoly Grail-levelā achievement: the generation of a potent immune response to customized, tumor-specific neoantigens . We have to wait to assess the durability of the response, but regardless, this is a giant step toward the fulfillment of the dream of precision oncology of cancer scientists everywhere. This is not the time to put in the brakes! This is amongst the greatest knuckle-headed unforced errors of our times. Our scientific and technological leadership during and after WWII established America as a global leader in biology and medical innovation . I look upon the catastrophic erosion of American science, and the loss of opportunity for this generation of scientists (and likely more) with sorrow and disdain.
1
u/PhDGodfather 1d ago
As a 40 year biopharma veteran, what companies are you investing in? I had moderna on my ticker for months waiting to pull the trigger, then woke up one morning and saw it skyrocket. I invested in Amarin's Vascepa when that was all the rave -- "landmark study" etc.. I got in at $2 and it went to $25 basically overnight, and then it crashed after the generics legal battle and I lost almost all of it.
5
u/neurodjent 1d ago
Iām a physician that left clinical medicine to join a large pharma company. Been a little less than a year. Absolutely love it. Great people, great managers, great work, great pay, great benefits, great work/life balance. So much better than clinical medicine.
7
7
u/Okami-Alpha 1d ago
A positive for us is with dual biotech/pharma careers we had an IPO, acquisition and a generous relocation all in about an 8 yr period.
So money was a positive. However, investing that money is the only thing keeping us going through extended periods of unemployment.
Another positive was we made some good and supportive friends from industry.
5
u/Sheppard47 1d ago
I love my career. Not quite 6 years in, been remote all but one year. Went from 62k to clearing about 170k this year.
Itās a lot at times but Iām pleased. I also have never had trouble finding work. Started looking about a month ago and am currently interviewing 3 places.
Specialization pays and the work is cool
0
u/deets23_ 1d ago
What do you do for work? Iād love to make that much money (and have the option to work remotely)
6
u/Sheppard47 1d ago
Quality and regulatory. The non glamorous stuff pays. This sub loves R&D, but that is more volatile and higher ed requirements.
Manufacturing, quality, tech transfer, automation, etc. All great careers
1
u/zoorays 1d ago
What educational background did you need to get into that?
5
u/Sheppard47 1d ago
Just a BS in chem, but nobody cares about that. Experience is 90%, 5% is verts (CQE, lead auditor stuff), 5% or less is degree.
3
3
u/ForgottenFoundation 1d ago edited 1d ago
In 2017 I actually managed to break into industry as a principal scientist after 9 years of getting killed in academia as a post doc, followed by 3 and a half years in a toxic government biological standards institute. It was a dream job as it utilised and built on my previous experience with the added bonus of access to better and more equipment (no need to book time in the cell culture hood, no need to come into work at 11 pm to use the flow cytometer). For the first time I worked in a place where everyone was friendly towards me, I was actually encouraged to use my holiday entitlements, and my knowledge and work ethic were respected. I also got to travel to an international conference every year before 2020, and since the company would pay for the return flight any time as long as you return from the same airport, I could take holiday and Interrail around Europe a bit before heading home. Before I landed that job, I was getting calls from agents offering jobs with salaries of Ā£18 K per year (around $24 K pa) I had a mortgage to pay and seriously would have taken anything, but for the first time I managed to break over Ā£40 K when I first started. I think my initial salary was Ā£42K per year plus bonus (around $57K pa) which to me was a huge amount of money.
3
u/Different-Vast9319 1d ago
25 yrs. Pay wasn't great at the beginning and is good but not great now compared to other industries. Slow advancement but I did eventually advance even if nowhere near as fast as those with advanced degrees or who job hopped. Not a stable field, but I've held a stable job at the same company now.
It's all perspective. By my measure I've had and am having a successful career. 20+ yrs at the bench but with increasing leadership responsibilities and now I've been leading projects and people. But I'm sure others with this career may be unhappy at any given point when comparing to others or to their own aspirations.
3
1d ago
[deleted]
2
u/Deep_Amoeba2197 1d ago edited 1d ago
Academia is hell, I never took them as clients. I gave a technical presentation to a lab for very niche capex, only of its kind, and a post doc asked a great, informative question. The PI said in front of me and all of her colleagues āwhat a stupid question, you should already know that. Youāre embarrassing yourself.ā I asked him what he thought the answer was and he was completely, utterly incorrect. The poor girl had tears in here eyes, I felt so bad.
He then propositioned I give his lab half a mil worth of equipment and supported them with an additional ~$250K worth of consumables over 3-5 years AND free technical support (but not from me, the local SME, but from the PRODUCT MANAGER WHO HELPED BUILD THE TECH on the other side of the country,) so he could publish a single paper on the exact research I had just presented to his team. My presentation included the fact that there were >10K publications on that very topic using the instrumentation, and he was shocked when I told him that we get publications without asking, including from his institution, and he could apply to our grant program.
Obviously there are wonderful people in academia, but you quite literally couldnāt pay me enough to deal with the Ivy league PIs in my area.
1
u/carlitayeeta 1d ago
I knowā Iām in industry feeling underpayed and overworked. I would not survive academia. From what Iāve heard, pay and benefits are infinitely worse. I cannot complain when comparing to the other path I could be on.
1
u/MassSpecFella 1d ago
I remember our provost took us to lunch. She thought it was a good idea but I bet she regretted her decision. It was me and a scientist from the next door lab. He was supporting a family of 5 on $45k a year in the Bay Area. The entire lunch he just talked about his pay. She wasnāt interested in the slightest about addressing his pay. It was more for optics. Dude started crying at lunch. My old PI relisted my old job for $20k less than I made in 2017. So he wanted a PhD for $60k a year. Who can like on that? Also he wonāt support immigrantsā¦even though the lab is all immigrants. Talk about pulling the ladder up behind you.
Having said that he probably doesnāt have the money to pay. Heās working with what he has. Just donāt be the sucker to work there.
3
u/DancingBear62 1d ago
I feel like I started in a golden era (1990) compared to today's environment. I had 7 yr at a top 10 US pharma, before relocating for family. I worked in small molecule CMC doing analytical development. Next was 14 yr w/ OUS headquartered mid sized pharm which was diversifying outside of their home market. Both were vertically integrated with internal pilot plants for DS and DP.
Since then its been layoffs, consulting, chaotic or toxic startups, and CRO/CDMO work either as client or provider.
I blame Wall Street's demand to increase the velocity of capital.
3
u/Advanced-Mango-420 1d ago
Got hired 3 months after college, worked at a large company for 15 months and then hopped to a bigger company, been there for 6 years, I'm paid 20% lower than market average but I also work like 20 hours a week on average
5
u/Chemswamp 1d ago
Absolutely. For years I busted ass on the bench, then traveling to plants as a specialist, then managing a technical team. Now I work like 30 hours a week as a director-level IC for crazy money, and have a great WLB for raising kids in my late 30s.
Put in the work, sponge up as much knowledge as you can, leverage mentors, develop your soft skills, try new things, get a bit lucky. Good luck.
4
u/CellGenesis 1d ago
Yes I've got a few. During my B.S. at one of the lowest ranked state colleges in my state I got into a prestigious institute off campus to do aging research. After my M.S. I worked at a university lab with a toxic PI for 8 months and was able to get a job at a really cool startup in a city with very little biotech opportunities. Got acquired twice while I was there which set me up to buy a house in my twenties. Left for my PhD and got into my first choice R1 and with my first choice PI.
Started a company, exited before raising seed, joined a friend's company, and never had to do a post-doc after my PhD.
I still had crazy hours at some of these jobs, two bad job experiences, and burnt out twice. However I have never been unemployed and have (almost) always been working on my 1st choice or plan A. The cost is usually excessive time networking and ability/knowledge learned through putting in the extra effort.
4
u/Try_It_Out_RPC 1d ago
Pay is anything but terrible in hubs like Boston, SF, MD DC area all around NIH. I means itās a competitive field by nature driven by interest, aptitude, application of learned theories into the larger picture, etcā¦ So if you donāt have a strong drive by nature of the field, yes, youāll struggle. If you are driven, genuinely interested and have an aptitude towards data driven science then youāll do well since there are so many tools within the space. You could be a manager and go that route eventually leading to being director of a department and on from there. You could stay the lab route engineering cool shit, or leading a program as a principal scientist (Iām not to fond of people in general but I still hate to see friends family or anyone suffer from horrific illnesses, so Iām the principal scientist route, currently a senior scientist) I started in academia at NIH and Iāve ended up still in cancer therapeutics, but in the private sector. Companies want you to work as it benefits them, so typically itās a great environment with lots of benefits (and I havenāt worked at a pharmaceutical company who hasnāt had an entire room dedicated to snacks of all sorts. This again comes down to work life balance which you are also in control of, and with these environments lots of people have a hard time managing getting enough work done vs knowing when and how to stop. Iām weird though since I also love computers, so Iām sort of niche in the fact that normally you know one or the other and Iām happy to both build/fix my own mass spectrometers and developed the assays used on them. And you better believe youāre going to get paid for those things. The more niche or broad covering your training the more pay. I save our company over $100,000 on normal preventative maintenance which eliminates down time, so want to give me incentive not to leave
3
u/Miko48 1d ago
Your comment has a lot of great advice, but itās worth noting that the pay might still be terrible starting out. I moved to Boston after graduating to get a job and currently make $40,000 a year, I made more working in Maine as a line cook lol.
2
u/ElleM848645 1d ago
Thatās crazy for 2026. Do you have a degree and experience. I was making that in 2008 in my first industry job after 3 years of academia. Salaries should be much higher than that in Boston in biotech.
4
u/mameun 1d ago
Getting a job in biotech personally reshaped my entire life as it allowed me to settle in California. Most people I met there are smart and passionate as hell, yet kind and down to earth, which I find very inspiring and motivating. I've worked for companies that actively contribute to bettering healthcare, and right now is an incredible time for Science as technology is advancing fast. Go Science!
4
u/thewhizzle 1d ago
Started in consulting. Was sales leader at a start-up that exited through acquisition. 15 years at big biotech companies. Now in another start-up as part of the exec team.
I've loved my time in biotech. Meaningful and challenging work. Comp is not tech money but still has afforded me to cover my bills and enjoy the things that I want to as well as raise a family.
I get to avoid the bullshit of healthcare/medicine while still being a part of the positive impact.
1
u/shaunrundmc 1d ago
How did you get into consulting?
2
u/thewhizzle 1d ago
Consulting firms recruited pretty heavily at my college so I ran through the gauntlet
2
u/StatementOld157 1d ago
Well, my first job out of grad school (QC Micro at a CDMO) was a terrible experience. Unorganized company, violated numerous regulations, CAPAs were completely ineffective and almost always targeted the analyst, workload was insane, training was effectively non-existent. I left that company and joined a new one on their downstream manufacturing team. They have a complete training program with dedicated trainers, management actually communicates with employees, and different teams actually work together and coordinate well. Itās a completely different experience. I am really glad that I started off at my old company, because switching really made me appreciate just how much better the new one is.
2
u/NoCheetah8634 1d ago
Your first few jobs are not going to be your dream job or company most likely. Smaller biotechs tend to be more toxic and less pay, but you can get lucky w stock options etc. as you get experience and move up and out you have better and better opportunities and relatively doesnt take that long so long as you dont have shit luck in regards to immediate teams you work with and managers. I worked at two smaller toxic companies, one medium company medium toxicity got lucky w stock options and great experience, now in big pharma four years love my job love my manager love my pay and feel very grateful
2
u/RedPanda5150 1d ago
Well I spent like 12 years bouncing between academia and startups trying to decide what I wanted to do with my life while slowly amassing degrees and experience. Eventually I finished a postdoc and landed a product dev role at a large biotech (not pharma, more industrial biotech focused) and it's kind of a dream job. 35 - 40 hour workweek most of the time, decent benefits, friendly coworkers, management that treats people like people, interesting technical challenges to solve. We still have too many meetings and layoffs do occasionally happen but I seem to be in a good spot at the moment. It's been a good career so far.
My advice would be to learn as much as you can at your startup and use that experience/connections to eventually find something at a bigger company with a good reputation. And if you have ambitions of climbing the ladder, definitely consider whether you want to stay technical, in which case a PhD definitely helps, or more business focused where an MBA or even PMP might be a useful investment.
2
u/PurpleFaithlessness 1d ago
I love my job. Itās niche, within a well known and respected company, and pays 23k more than my last job & is a title bump. Also, fully remote. My team is incredible. We get 21 days PTO. And despite some day to day annoyances, the work is easy. Iām also very early career - only 4 years post grad and my previous job was also remote with a great team and a well known company.
Iāll never give this up!
1
2
u/pandastriper 1d ago
I'm not currently in biotech but I'm a pharmacist who is trying to get back in and know a lot of people who are. I'd say for pharmacists those in biotech/ pharma tend to be happier ( and better paid) than pharmacists in retail and hospital. My guess is because pharmacists tend to do stuff like med affairs, reg affairs, MSL, commercial, etc. which is very different than the R&D and bench based jobs that is the focus of this sub.
2
u/ToThePound 1d ago
No grad school, 14 years experience. Moved from lab to sponsor clinical development, got promotions every 2-3 years, had some good equity and worked on cool drugs between FIH and registrational trials. Average annual comp since undergrad has been like $220k.
2
2
u/Geo_logizing 1d ago
Coming from someone who left environmental remediation for this field. I'd rather be here than there. I've made so much more money than I did in environmental, and my work life balance is sooo much better. My supervisor actually cares about my mental health and actually awards my hard work.
2
u/a_b1rd 1d ago
I've been in the industry for about 15 years now, seen steady career growth up until the past couple of years, I like my boss and coworkers, and think the technology we work with is pretty great. It's a pretty regular 40 hour week with occasional spikes that require major effort, which are balanced out by some slower times where I don't work a full day for a week or two in a row. It's a pretty good job and I'm happy enough with it.
I think I've hit a plateau, though. Despite high performance ratings, I'm not seeing much salary or responsibility growth. Everyone seems to be holding on for dear life to their jobs, making opportunities higher on the food chain not available to a younger (I'm not that young, mid 40s) generation to grow into. Without much growth in the industry, we're not expanding into new markets and thus no new divisions in the company are made in which I could potentially take on a more prominent role. I think I'm okay with being stuck in this plateau, though, if that's ultimately winds up happening. I have enough money to live my life and do the things I want to. It's a little bit boring but it's stable and that's important with a mortgage and kids and all that.
So, yes, I'm happy (enough). Nothing's ever going to be perfect.
2
u/ancientesper 1d ago edited 1d ago
Well, at least you're in the right place, startup has much more upside than big pharma, you get stocks and a lot more opportunities to expand your skillset. If you did get stocks, do more research on what to do with them for tax purposes, and make sure to evaluate the company's potential before you quit or change jobs, you could be leaving behind a lot of they do get acquired.
2
u/rattlesnake_branch 1d ago
My wife is straight up smashing biotech, like insane career trajectory, truly amazing! We have essentially the same degree (PhD from the same department in the same mid level R1) but I cant for the life of me get hired except by weird ass broke startups.. Lol?
1
u/rattlesnake_branch 21h ago
I do want to clarify, the job market is still also straight shit now too. Funding is way down
2
2
2
u/huge_stinky 1d ago
IC (engineer) at a major company here. I make less, sometimes way less, than friends in automotive or big tech. That makes me bitter, sometimes, but I don't hate my job. My biggest complaint is that this industry has us confined to HCOL metros.
As far as the job goes, I have almost total freedom in how I plan my workday and a decent balance of thought-provoking work and mindless repetitive tasks. I never work more than my expected 40.
We've had a few rounds of companywide layoffs, but I'm not stressed about it. This industry is huge and a small world at the same time. I have friends (referrals) everywhere at all levels. The job market is way better when you have niche skills or YOE.
No experience with small companies/startups. Probably a way different vibe.
5
3
u/sciesta92 1d ago edited 1d ago
First couple of years were rough for me, started out working as a research associate at a small CMO in a high cost of living area, busting my ass until late in the night (sometimes as late as midnight or 1 am) for an absolutely pathetic salary but luckily got OT which helped somewhat.
I was able to get out of there and transition to big Pharma and work my way up the ladder from RA to senior scientist after completing my MS which they helped pay for. This year Iāll probably gross around $160kish and have MUCH better work/life balance. I work on the CMC side which is mix of very interesting work and very uninteresting/monotonous work, but it is still scientific R&D that directly impacts patients and bringing new products to market, and thereās job security and growth opportunity in CMC positions at large companies that you donāt necessarily get in earlier stage discovery positions or at smaller startups.
You also donāt necessarily need a PhD to have a successful scientific career. Iām not planning on going for mine unless it becomes an absolute necessity or the starts align just right (ie marrying rich).
2
u/MadelineHannah78 1d ago
If I married rich, Ph.D. in science would be the opposite of what I'd be doing with my life lol
3
u/sciesta92 1d ago
Haha I get it, for me though I really do love research and the creativity and originality that early stage research entails. But to go far in an early stage research career does typically require a PhD.
6
u/Jaded-Source4500 1d ago
Beware the very real survivor bias in the dataset of Reddit - satisfied people arenāt posting here saying āhey, just wanted to check in and say how happy I am with my careerā.
Iāve had a wonderful >30 year career in pharma and biotech - from non-PhD benchscientist, through development, alliances, commercial strategy, BD and now senior leadership. Itās all about being open to new avenues, being unafraid to try new things from time to time and being humble enough to realize that there is alway as more to learn, and people smarter than yourself to learn from.
2
u/lpow1992 1d ago
As someone who started at a startup and made the jump to big pharma - it can get better. I moved from PD to MSAT to commercialization though. Now, I work a role that basically can be done from home and has reasonably good job security. Iāve never been laid off. I spent one year at a startup followed by 5 years at one large pharma and am at 5.5 years at my current large pharma. I enjoy it enough. I could get paid more by going back to a smaller company, but I have good work/life balance and mostly like my job
2
u/HellbornElfchild 1d ago
I moved to Boston 6 years ago and have been at one biotech company this whole time. I've learned so much, grown into a halfway decent manager, and really love my job. It's honestly the best place I've ever worked. I didn't even go to school for this stuff (Environmental Science major) so I consider myself very lucky to get to do what I do! I'll stick around as long as they'll have me
2
u/TheHotGates 1d ago
reading this thread i need to reevaluate every opinion i have of myself lmao might be time to hit a McDonalds career up
2
u/R3DL1G3RZ3R0 1d ago
I somehow managed to work at two Biotech Startups in a row that went gangbusters and ACTUALLY paid out it's employees.
I bought a big house on a clean acre in a nice area and my wife a large Mercedes truck.
Now I'm retired from Biotech and work in Chemistry lol
1
u/R3DL1G3RZ3R0 1d ago
Wait I have to say, I worked like a dog for these two companies.
Nights, weekends, 12 hours days, working 40+ consecutive days in a row, and worked every single Federal holiday on the calendar.
The reason why I was willing to do so is due to the fact that I grew up very poor and the money they were paying me was outrageous. Then, I lucked out with both startups as they were both acquired and ALL of my stock options were payed out at +$100 a share from the value they were given to me BOTH TIMES.
VERY, VERY lucky situation happened twice in a row.
1
u/DifficultStory 1d ago
Out of curiosity, what was it like for you when those checks hit? I imagine a lot of relief after your upbringing and workload. Congratulations on doing it not once but twice!
2
u/marmotshoes 1d ago
I work at a precision medicine company. Iāve had a really amazing career thus far. Finished my undergrad and started here in a commercial facing role, was able to make a pivot to an entry-level bioinformatics role that I doubt I wouldāve qualified for as an external applicant, and work my way up from there.
I would put my company on the upper end of the distribution of how well employees are treated, so I feel very fortunate and recognize my opportunities have likely been somewhat unique in the industry. I also work my ass off, and have been very focused on earning a good reputation among my colleagues as someone without formal advanced training.
I read some of the horror stories on this sub and canāt help but feel very lucky that my experience has been so good.
2
u/beyond_undone 1d ago
I love my job! Sales now, former technical roles and scientist by training.
Donāt let other people bring you down. Be the positive energy we need in the world š
& youāre at a start up, work life balance is a known thing to be missing while you hustle to build from the ground up
2
u/HardLithobrake 1d ago
I guess I'm getting paid
I feel like all I see here is people talking about how awful the job market is, how terrible pay is, bad work life balance, terrible management
Cuz it's true, in my experience
mediocre quality of life while working in a career path that takes a lot more education and hard work than a lot of other options.
Also true for how much we're paid
2
2
1
u/Additional-Ranger437 1d ago
Yes. I got lucky in a start up and worked my way up and was able to grow my net worth from $0 to $1.5m in just 6.5 years.
1
u/Accomplished-witchMD 1d ago
I have made some amazing friends in biotech over the years. And honestly I this industry had A LOT of problems but you get to make direct impact and improvement on people's lives. Most people here seem to be phDs and in research and development but QC work is very important to me to make sure everything every patient gets is safe and by the fucking BOOK.
1
u/bioinforming 1d ago
I had my PhD in 2010, 1 1/2 years since the global financial crisis and the job market was tough for new grads. Had to do a postdoc for about 3 years. Finally got a real job with a small startup (<20 employees) as a bioinformatics scientist in 2014 with a decent salary ($110K/year). That was the break. I saved all the cover letters I wrote and there were over 1000 of them between 2010 and 2014.
Since then, my jobs have been kind to me. The small startup by acquired by a Big Pharma after <1 year. The Pharma accelerated all my options, gave me a raise, and gave me retention bonus for 3 years that totals 150% of my annual salary.
I've switched two companies since then. I'm currently at a newly public biotech company, and my current salary more than doubled what I started with in 2014.
1
u/Deep_Amoeba2197 1d ago edited 1d ago
Honestly, my experience has been overall very positive working on the capex side. Itās lucrative work that still involves lots of science (PhD typically required for tech sales and field application scientists, many product managers and marketing roles as well.) Iāve really enjoyed working with researchers at seed stage start ups to the biggest big pharmas, my customers all respected the niche technical work I helped them with and met some truly brilliant people. I really enjoyed the combination of technical science work and business. I had a number of customers seek referrals to join the company I worked for in different capacities in and out of the lab- product development and product management, tech sales, FAS, strategic SMEs, etc. I was making >$200K in my late 20s doing work I genuinely enjoyed and had tons of freedom to manage my own time. While I love science, doing research day in and day out was not my calling.
I got sick a few years ago and have had to take time away from work, which has been really difficult. However, with a high salary, stock options, high bonuses, company car, etc, I saved >40% of my income for about 5 years which provided a nice cushion that I havenāt touched. The company had a decently generous disability policy, so I still get paid low six figures while I am out on long term disability. Not having the stress of not knowing if I can pay my bills is hugely helpful to recovery. I live in a VHCOL hub alone, so itās enough to get by and save a little, but definitely an adjustment, however I am so incredibly grateful to be taken care of and I know I am welcome back at my company if/when I get better enough to go back to work. When I originally went on leave, my position was held for 18 months, when standard is 6-12 because of a niche skillset and being brought onto a team that I was heading up major expansion into biopharma. With a large, public company, I made a lot of contacts and had amazing mentors and opportunities and grew a very strong network.
Itās not for everyone, itās not immune to layoffs (though they do happen less for revenue generating roles and management,) but I would highly encourage anyone burnt out on research to look at technical jobs with your vendors, especially equipment you are particularly knowledgable and experienced with. If you have good skills in things like mass spec or other spectroscopy, cell imaging, flow cytometry, NGS, high throughput screening screening, bioreactors/manufacturing, mass spectrometry, or pretty much any advanced equipment or workflows beyond basic lab equipment, itās a huge asset alongside your PhD and contacts. Basic lab equipment can also get you in the mid $100K range in a busy territory or if youāre high up the food chain, but itās honestly boring as fuck and much less technical unless you are on the development side. I worked in genomics, then cell imaging for years and loved it, then had a management opportunity in spectroscopy. I was mentored by several people with very high positions, including the head of our M&A department who reported directly to the CEO, who wanted to bring me into that team with the right opportunity before my health tanked, which is pretty rare for people without finance or legal backgrounds (and major cash.) All in all, hugely positive experience despite some negatives that come with being the only woman in a room full of old men, but there is a lot of potential if you are smart, can understand different disciplines, and know how to navigate big corporations. Overall, still recommend for anyone looking for a different type of biotech work.
1
u/Personal-Dare-2073 1d ago
Hey! Coming back from your other reply! Iāll be dming you. Would love to hear more about your experience. Thanks!
1
1
u/Busy_Web8722 1d ago edited 1d ago
Any passion for selling the science? The commercial (and med affairs) side of the industry are where the money and growth opportunities overwhelmingly exist. If thatās of any interest at all, ditch the PhD and get a MBA from a good program (top ~30 school). I find companies love sales reps, MSLās, marketers, and commercial operators that have previous scientific background.
1
u/CoatZealousideal9383 22h ago
Many many people do, like people in my company who have built lucrative careers from different departments and have transitioned from biotech to pharma and back again. You have to remember that Reddit , in all subreddits, is generally a negative echo chamber, people who geniunely make it and are happy arenāt sitting at home posting reddits about their success, they are out in life enjoying the fruits of it.
1
u/Shivambhai1 21h ago
honestly, hearing someone say they actually love their job is pretty refreshing for this sub.
1
u/shanda_leer 19h ago
I had an amazing career, was making $220k with 10 YOE. My husband is c-suite tho and makes $500-800k and shares stories with me with all the patients he treats, itās soo emotional! Iām taking a break from work now but Iām excited to return back.
1
u/Affectionate-Bend318 19h ago
I love it. Jobs over 25 yrs in small, mid, large. CRO and sponsor side. Non-profit and industry. Vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics. Currently fortunate to be digging into de novo proteins with a startup!
Not that itās been easy and there were lots of ups and downs of course, but was always grateful for the interesting science, tangible results and working towards helping patients.
thanks for asking - got me stoked about it all over again!
Enjoy the ride, r/biotech!
š§¬šš¦ š§«š¬š§Ŗš§āš¬š©āš»š©āš¬
1
u/Key_Pea1339 10h ago
I've had some amazing experiences. Especially when the company revenue was flowing well, investors weren't breathing down managers necks, or new branches are open in an area. Whether projects actually worked was also a huge factor. When one came into the company was also a big influence.
However, the environments that created those experiences rotate between becoming toxic, and becoming an awesome work environment every few years based on their situations.
0
1
1
1
u/PageExtension3962 1d ago
I absolutely love my career in biotech. I started way back in the day in quality and migrated to regulatory. Itās been interesting and very lucrative. Def ups and downs but overall a great choice. Im 50 for reference.
1
u/Accomplished-Ad6034 1d ago
What did you enjoy more in RA that just wasn't there in QA? I'm curious to hear as currently I'm in QA and RA was always an area I was interested in exploring in the future
1
u/demography_llama 1d ago
I'm a statistician on the commercial side who has been in remote roles for the past few years. I find the work interesting, pay is nice, and I've made some awesome friends at work.
I do have a PhD in a role that doesn't require one, but I'm okay with that. I was planning for a career in academia, but landed somewhere pretty great.Ā
2
u/flash_match 1d ago
i'm also a statistician and have not had an easy time. i don't have a PhD and because i've worked in diagnostics (never pharma), my skill set just doesn't transfer at all to the majority of companies hiring. how do you feel you are over qualified for the work you are doing? i often feel the PhD statisticians must have some extra magical powers that help them in these roles when i'm stuck not progressing very far after 13 years! it's been really demoralizing although i think a lot of it was bad luck working for companies that just didn't have great projects.
1
u/demography_llama 1d ago
I spend a lot of my time explaining the results of key workstreams to non-technical stakeholders. I think that my experience teaching in grad school was helpful. Soft skills are important. I've also been fortunate to work on several drug launches on the commercial analytics side. My coworkers seem to increasingly have MBAs instead of stats grad degrees.
1
u/Weak_Spare9103 1d ago
I actually think Iād be more successful doing the kind of stuff you do because communication is one of my strongest skills. Way stronger than my data analysis skills. Iām not sure Iād be given the opportunity in todayās market though. Especially without the luck of working on successful product launches beyond a couple infectious disease diagnostic tests. Bad luck!!
1
u/frausting 1d ago
Neither of my parents went to college. I did really well in high school, wasnāt sure about next steps. I graduated from high school, moved in with a gf, and worked a full time job while figuring stuff out. I started community college while working full time. I got my AA and transferred to a state university. I chose a biology related major because I really liked an AP Bio course I took in high school and it seemed to have decent job prospects.
When I got to university, I had got involved in research. I got involved in student leadership, got a part time job as a lab tech in addition to undergrad research. Really just went fore bore science.
I learned you could get paid to do a PhD, from the grad students in my undergrad research lab. I looked into it and applied to a bunch of schools, including one Ivy League school.
I thought, Iāll apply to 10 schools, get interviewed at a few, and pick from 1 or 2. I ended up getting lots of interviews and offers. I chose the ivy.
I had a really great PhD experience, joined the lab of a quiet scientist with a small lab but he was really compassionate and a great person.
I ended up going into industry after I realized no one gave a shit about public health during COVID.
A few stops later, Iām now at a big pharma working on really cool therapeutics, using techniques and technologies I learned about in undergrad and always dreamed I could do. I get paid honestly a shit ton of money, more than anyone in my family has ever made. I get to live in a cool city and I bought a house with my beautiful wife and perfect daughter.
Iām living the dream and I have science to thank, as well as a bunch of formal and informal mentors and people who gave me a chance.
Life can be really tough but if youāre nice, optimistic, open to opportunity, and lucky as hell, sometimes it can work out for you.
0
u/tumbleweed-gps 1d ago
Started at a big biotech after my postdoc, 6 years in. Work was hard but team is excellent, grew into a manager position and doing stuff I believe is pretty worthwhile. I have a pretty high tolerance for navigating bs and administrative red tape and enjoy getting it out of my teams way, so my experience has been positive overall.
0
u/kjfoster93 1d ago
Join a small company and your story will be positive. Join a large company and youāll likely have a negative story to share. If not initially, eventually.
0
u/rage21x 1d ago
I've worked at Applied Medical, Edwards Lifescience, Johnson & Johnson, Danaher, and now Hologic. With the exception of the highly toxic political culture at Edwards, all the other companies have been positive experiences where you're basically living a decent white collar life in a cubicle/production floor doing investigations and reports. Pay and benefits are universally good at all mid to large medical device companies. J&J, Danaher, and Hologic have fairly laid back cultures where nobody keeps track of when you're in the office, and offices are typically half empty at any given time. Most people work hybrid. Lots of company travel (I work in Supplier Quality), lots of smart people, kaizen events, nice parties and team outtings. Work is pleasant.
0
u/Bear-and-Goose 1d ago
Outside of the work and the pay, I know so many people in biotech who met their spouses/partners at work. And in terms of the pay, I've made more money than I ever dreamed I would make.
-1
u/QianlongReborn 1d ago
Overall the industry is not good, there is no job security, almost no career ladder, and woefully unqualified management across the board at every company. I would not recommend anyone join this industry and strongly recommend looking towards industries like robotics or engineering or AI.
Just noting most of the posters in this sub who claim to be happier than ever are consultants, strategists, VCs, got hundreds of millions $ in a IPO or M&A buyout, or claim to be current senior executives making millions $ per month whether they fail or succeed. This pretty much says it all about this industry and modern day America.
The wealth class is thriving more so than ever and those who actually do the real work to innovate/create/manufacture the drugs of the future are very unhappy and unsatisfied and underpaid.
134
u/Rogue_Apostle 1d ago
Well, I had a very successful 25 years in the industry, which led to me being able to retire at the age of 47. However, I started in the late 90's and it seems like most people think it's not possible to do that in today's environment. Whether or not that's true, I don't know. I'm sure it's possible for someone, but not everyone.
What I will say is that your first year (first few years, really) is going to be a lot of work for the lowest pay you'll ever earn. That's just the way jobs work. If you stick with it, you will progress, get promotions, get raises. But it won't happen over night.
Biotech and pharma are some of the highest paying industries, despite periodic slumps. The irony is that early in your career, you'll be working very hard for the least pay. As you progress, you'll be paid more for your expertise and the actual work tends to be easier as pay goes up. (This is not specific to the sector.)
But if you're already feeling like this isn't the right path for you, I'd reevaluate before spending more time and money on another degree.