r/biotech • u/Additional-Action-14 • 16h ago

Open Discussion šŸŽ™ļø 1st year biotech student in Italy, kinda scared I'm wasting 5 years

hey, I just started my bachelor's in biotechnology in Italy and honestly I'm a bit anxious.

every time I read about the job market I see layoffs, "is biotech dead", low salaries, "you need a PhD"...

and I keep thinking: I'll spend 5 years between bachelor's and master's and maybe end up in a shitty job, when I could have worked those 5 years, saved some money and been independent.

I don't want to be rich, I just want a job that makes sense and a normal life.

for those who did it: was it worth it? what do you do now?

if you were back in first year what would you do differently?

and if you quit or switched paths tell me too, I need to hear that as well

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3

u/Tris-EDTA 16h ago

Network Network Network

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u/Namikaze_ghost 16h ago

I feel you, iā€™m about to graduate from my masters in Biotechnology here in Italy, job market looks dead. Iā€™m panning on continuing with internships even after graduation, provided that i manage to find something.
I feel like network and connections matter much more than anything else, especially here in Italia.

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u/needsomerest 16h ago

Been there buddy, same situation, same nation...20 years ago. I am still working in RnD after all and I still like it, but I had to relocate abroad to find my way. What I would recommend you and retrospectively change in my career: do not stick long in academia after PhD if you want to move to industry. Get a GMP certificate if you want to stay in Italy, most of what I see there is in manifacturing/quality and not in RnD

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u/MentalStatusCode410 15h ago

The graveyard of shattered companies will be huge in 20 years due to a lack of recruitment and mentorship.

Biotech will never make sense - products which should be staple in perpetuity are given a 15-30 year monetization period before being palmed off to generic companies.

If I had known how heavily tainted and fatiguing research is by the ego of Medicine (ironically) - I wouldn't of done it.

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u/askingQuestions-24-7 14h ago

At least you know that going into your studies and have enough time to figure out what the market values in fresh graduates.