tractor
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Post by tractor on Mar 17, 2014 7:29:01 GMT -5
My son is a junior in high school and he has decided to persue a career in Genetic Engineering. He has the GPA and work ethic to support a degree in the science field (3.96 GPA, national honor society, etc) and he seems to have put some real thought into researching potential schools. We're still waiting for his ACT scores to come back to see where he falls into the grand scheme of things.
Anyway, here's my question. I know nothing about the genetics field and am wondering if someone out there can give me a few pointers that I can use to help him get off on the right foot. Are there certain specialization that he should avoid in a potentially bloated career field?
He did say he was interested in working in the paralysis field, possibly helping those with spinal chord injuries. Way above my skill set.
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skubikky
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Post by skubikky on Mar 17, 2014 7:45:42 GMT -5
Genetic engineering could be termed as a technology. I would suggest researching biomedical engineering, microbiology, biophysics and other academic tracks.
Research what any universities in your area might have with regards to these departments. I suspect that if he has such an interest that his undergraduate studies would include biology, chemistry, physics, organic chemistry, physical chemistry, and certain engineering courses. That would be narrowed and specialized in graduate studies. It would be a great opportunity to get in contact with those that do what he's interested in. I'd research that and see if any communication is possible.
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tractor
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Post by tractor on Mar 17, 2014 7:58:22 GMT -5
Thanks for the info, were mid-western folks, so he has narrowed down his college choices to Michigan State, Michigan, Northwestern, and Florida? Wanting to go somewhere warn I guess.
He excells at math and science so I think it will be a good fit for him. I'm going to try and start putting together some campus tours and see if I can find him somewhere he can meet with a professional in the field.
I think this is going to get expensive, but I hope it pays off for him in the long run.
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GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl
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Post by GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl on Mar 17, 2014 8:32:33 GMT -5
I can't speak to the genetic engineering component, but as to narrowing down the overall college search, I am currently traveling that road with ODS.
Help him narrow down other generalities first such as the size of the school, urban/suburban/rural, etc. We toured a few local college and university campuses on our own (some call it trespassing, LOL) so ODS could get a handle on what felt right for him. Are there schools in your area that you can use for these types of decisions?
Then, our high school Guidance Department offers an online college search engine that allows students to apply about 20 different variables to their search and then receive a list of schools that meet those criteria. ODS was pleased to find a number of previously unknown and previously unconsidered schools that matched a lot of what he wanted in a college. We've toured a number of those specific schools already and he has it narrowed down to a handful. And he is only a junior (but wants to play lacrosse in college so is actively engaged in the college athletic recruiting process already).
See if your son's school offers such a search engine. It was really helpful for us.
As far as course requirements once he gets to college, we were able to meet with a professor in ODS's preferred degree area at each college we visited simply by asking the Admission's Office to set such a meeting up when we registered for our visits. ODS was able to ask about the major, degree requirements, internship programs, employment potential, etc. The professors were very, very open to our visit and his questions. You and your son should do the same once he narrows down a few schools to visit.
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Otto the Orange
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Post by Otto the Orange on Mar 17, 2014 8:48:42 GMT -5
Maybe he's trying to make the perfect chick----like how those nerds in Weird Science did?
Imagine how much $$$$ he will make if he's successful?
you should encourage him....then you can trade in your wife too
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zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on Mar 17, 2014 9:26:12 GMT -5
Florida has an excellent research program and is connected to a first rate hospital. DS went there and DD will be going.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Mar 17, 2014 9:39:12 GMT -5
It is a fairly narrow field and he will likely have to move to get a job. Genetic engineering is included in biological engineering.
The biggest problem is that with an undergraduate degree, he may or may not get his foot in the door. It is a difficult conundrum in that you need the experience but to advance you need an advanced degree.
I know one biological engineer from Cornell. She has been pounding the pavement for a year now, no bites so has gone back to school for her MS, I think in business.
The problem these days is that these are competing with pre med majors in basic research positions who either choose not to go into med school or don't get in, so there is a lot of competition. Add to this that the federal budget from the NIH is a mess. Academic research budgets have been slashed from both them and state legislatures, so it is cutting another line of employment.
My nephew contacted me about this last year. From what I have seen, I strongly advised him not to go in this direction. I've worked in biomedical research for 30 years and if I knew them what I know now, I wouldn't do it myself. Starting salaries are low, because there is a lot of competition for the few positions available from foreign nationals.
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svwashout
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Post by svwashout on Mar 17, 2014 9:47:57 GMT -5
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NomoreDramaQ1015
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Post by NomoreDramaQ1015 on Mar 17, 2014 9:50:56 GMT -5
If he goes this route he should try for a school with a strong research program and do as many summer student stints as he reasonably can. Lots of labs now are rotating students rather than hiring full time staff b/c it's cheaper.
He also needs to be VERY mindful of student loan debt. Like Mich said funding is a mess from NIH on downwards, technician positions are drying up and what ones remain don't have generous salaries b/c most labs have no assurance they'll even have funding by next year. My first job was $20k.
I have no idea what's out there for private as far as bioloigical engineering but he should look there first. Again like Mich if I knew then what I know now I wouldn't have touched academics with a ten foot pole. He's in for a rough road if he decides he wants to go into academia.
He may also stand a better chance in private industry with just a bachelor's. In academia right now since funding is so tight and the competition for positions is so high Primary Investigators want the biggest bang for their buck. 95% of jobs I've looked at online for academia now require a master's AND several years experience plus publications if you have them.
An undergrad doesn't stand much of a chance right now. Also don't automatically go for the PhD either since professorships are drying up due to funding as well and there are way way too many foregin nationals and otherwise competing for those same positions.
He needs to weigh how badly he wants into this field and how far he's willing to go education wise. I really enjoy my job but I am not living the STEM six figure salary dream that a lot of YM-ers claim they are living with theirs.
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tractor
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Post by tractor on Mar 17, 2014 10:00:19 GMT -5
Thank you for all the feedback so far, that's exactly what I was looking for. I have no intention of killing his dreams before he even starts, but I need to know what I can do to point him in the right direction.
He would love to travel as there isn't much to keep him tied down here in our little town, so moving isn't that big of a concern.
In a perfect world, he would go to Michigan State (wife and I are both alumns), then attend the medical school which is attached to the DeVos Children's research hospital about an hour away from us. I figure he will start down one path, then change course as he goes along, as a father, I can't express enough how happy I am that he currently has a vision of his future, I know it will change, but at least he has one.
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NomoreDramaQ1015
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Post by NomoreDramaQ1015 on Mar 17, 2014 10:12:30 GMT -5
If he's super duper ambitious he could always go the MD/PhD route but that adds several more years of schooling (and debt) and you have to be VERY good to be accepted into that program b/c a lot of people start and then don't finish either degree.
I got a co-worker I worked with who chose to go that route. He's completed his PhD and is now finishing his last two years of medical school. I also had another female co-worker who went that route.
He should try as best he can to keep tabs on what way the wind is blowing in his field. Salaries were rocking when I started school and I know a lot of people who got into big ass debt counting on those salaries. I didn't b/c I kept my eye on the job market. I couldn't have predicted quite how bad things would bottom out but at least I wasn't counting on a giant salary.
Plus it's a lot easier to change directions in undergrad. If I was in school now I'd change course and get my nursing degree. I'm "stuck" now but I have seven years experience so I am doing all right. I wouldn't recommend my area to a current undergrad by a long shot.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Mar 17, 2014 10:19:56 GMT -5
He would love to travel as there isn't much to keep him tied down here in our little town, so moving isn't that big of a concern.
This is where it becomes difficult. When I started out, I know I would need to leave the small town I was in. I went to Boston and managed to survive VERY simply on a salary not much better than minimum wage. 50% of my salary went for rent at the time for a 200 sq ft studio. I'm not sure you could do that today.
after 30 years experience, when I left the field I also have an MS and am ABD for a PhD. I have a 3 page list of publications. My salary was $60k and that was about as much as I'd make, I had almost maxed out.
I loved what I did, but it was not easy scrambling to do what I did, and I'm not sure you could do it today.
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skubikky
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Post by skubikky on Mar 17, 2014 10:40:16 GMT -5
Thank you for all the feedback so far, that's exactly what I was looking for. I have no intention of killing his dreams before he even starts, but I need to know what I can do to point him in the right direction. He would love to travel as there isn't much to keep him tied down here in our little town, so moving isn't that big of a concern. In a perfect world, he would go to Michigan State (wife and I are both alumns), then attend the medical school which is attached to the DeVos Children's research hospital about an hour away from us. I figure he will start down one path, then change course as he goes along, as a father, I can't express enough how happy I am that he currently has a vision of his future, I know it will change, but at least he has one. MSU is great choice. Particularly if he decides to change his major or area of concentration. MSU provides a lot of choices. My sister is an alum and got an excellent education.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Mar 17, 2014 12:31:36 GMT -5
If he's super duper ambitious he could always go the MD/PhD route but that adds several more years of schooling (and debt) and you have to be VERY good to be accepted into that program b/c a lot of people start and then don't finish either degree.
Not all places have this program, so if he is interested in it he needs to see if the graduate program he is interested in carries it. We had the DDS/PhD program where I used to work and I trained more than my share. Of the 7 that started in the program (while I was there), 3 did not complete it. They got their DDS and went through the professional specialization program, but did not defend their thesis. Last I heard, all were private practice dentists, no longer affiliated with any university or interested in teaching.
The DDS/PhD program provides a stipend and pays tuition, so you do not incur as much debt as going the straight DDS or MD route.
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Phoenix84
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Post by Phoenix84 on Mar 17, 2014 13:05:46 GMT -5
He ought to work in the designer baby field. Seriously though, I know virtually nothing about careers in the biological sciences. I would think, like any specific scientific field, that you generally major in something more general, like biology, in undergrad, and specialize in grad school. But I could be wrong, maybe there are undergraduate programs specifically for genetic engineering.
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Wisconsin Beth
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Post by Wisconsin Beth on Mar 17, 2014 13:17:59 GMT -5
Thanks for the info, were mid-western folks, so he has narrowed down his college choices to Michigan State, Michigan, Northwestern, and Florida? Wanting to go somewhere warn I guess. He excells at math and science so I think it will be a good fit for him. I'm going to try and start putting together some campus tours and see if I can find him somewhere he can meet with a professional in the field. I think this is going to get expensive, but I hope it pays off for him in the long run. I've got a niece at Marquette University, for biomedical engineering. She got a nice aid package (she got one from Purdue too) and has applied to be an RA so her room and board would be covered. She's on her 2nd semester and is a sophomore since she had a bunch of AP type classes she got credit for.
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happyhoix
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Post by happyhoix on Mar 17, 2014 13:29:18 GMT -5
Thank you for all the feedback so far, that's exactly what I was looking for. I have no intention of killing his dreams before he even starts, but I need to know what I can do to point him in the right direction. He would love to travel as there isn't much to keep him tied down here in our little town, so moving isn't that big of a concern. In a perfect world, he would go to Michigan State (wife and I are both alumns), then attend the medical school which is attached to the DeVos Children's research hospital about an hour away from us. I figure he will start down one path, then change course as he goes along, as a father, I can't express enough how happy I am that he currently has a vision of his future, I know it will change, but at least he has one. Try to find some professionals working in this area for your son to talk to. When my son was interested in engineering I was able to bring him to work to talk to four different engineers to help him decide what type of engineering he was interested in, and what schools/degrees would help him get the kind of job he wanted. I think that was invaluable in helping him figure out exactly what direction he wanted to take (he's now an industrial engineer and very happy in his job). Possibly if you contact some local hospitals they can put you in touch with some professionals in this field - usually professional people are happy to mentor young adults. I know what you mean that you're happy your son has a vision of his future. My son worried us because he literally couldn't decide what he wanted to order at a restaurant. I figured he would never be able to decide on something as important as what he wanted to do with his life. Amazingly, he settled on industrial engineering as a Junior in HS and never wavered. Pretty good for someone so indecisive! Good luck to your son.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Mar 17, 2014 13:37:45 GMT -5
Possibly if you contact some local hospitals they can put you in touch with some professionals in this field - usually professional people are happy to mentor young adults.
Unless the hospital is associated with a medical school and research facilities, a hospital is not going to be able to help here, nor are they going to be able to point you in the right direction.
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tractor
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Post by tractor on Mar 17, 2014 14:04:20 GMT -5
I believe that anything in the medical field will have some promise in the future. As I've been working hard today, I've been checking out some if these things on-line and there's certainly quite a bit out there to think about. His interest in paralysis interests me, we don't have any immediate family members, or really know of anyone who struggles with such things.
We do know one young lady who has MS and is wheelchair bound, maybe watching her has had more if an effect on him than I thought? Beside being happy he's setting some goals, he's also not picking a school just to follow some girl around. We've avoided that choice so far....
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Labcat
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Post by Labcat on Mar 17, 2014 15:15:35 GMT -5
Unless I missed it I don't believe you said why your son is interested in genetics or what he hopes to do with it. My field (medical laboratory science) also deals - in part- with genetics and could be used for diagnostics, research and/or treatment. It also would allow for various pathways if he wanted to go on further: med school, PA school, Ph.D. One of my professors got her Ph.D in Cancer Biology using the MLS bachelor and masters programs. Good programs in your (my) area include MSU, Oakland University, and Wayne State.
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