This is where I have found everything that I have been looking for. In 2010 I went to school for Biotechnology, got my certification and worked for the USDA. I enjoyed every part of my job. The hours where lovely as I made my own schedule. I love the fact that would go from chemical engineering, to polymer manufacturing, to environmental chemistry and then back to microbiology within a week. It just thrilled me the diversity I had in that job.
In school it was a whole nother ballpark. I found myself being drawn to genomics, cloning, bio manufacturing and cellular and molecular biology. My first couple weeks in class and we learned about cloning the pro’s and cons and how it is done and to perfect it in a way. It was to fascinating to me, and I can see myself becoming that scientist in the movie Splice. Not the B rated movie, but the one that went to theaters with the two scientist and the creature they found and raised. No spoiler alert here trust me. Between that and Gattaca, those had to be the best biotech movies that have came out.
In school we had a good course load, a vocational school with hands on experience the entire ten months plus a six week externship.
I learned a great deal in that time including how to make cheese and apple juice. Needless to say after that I brought and made fresh juice home and will only eat organic cheese. It was amazing and makes you think what in the world you know. With the knowledge of Biology, Chemistry, DNA isolation and analysis, protein isolation and analysis, assay development, , protein assays, recombinant protein production, protein product purification and analysis, plant breeding, plant cloning, making DNA molecules, advanced protein studies and countless more I had a very good load.
We had a student who had received her BA in Biology come to the school and we asked her why is she here. She said the entire time she was in college she never touches a beaker or did any hand on works. The scary part is that its true. My professors and advisors said they didn’t get hands on experience until their graduate year and that is pretty sad.
Another bad thing is, with out a degree I am virtually unhireable. I have been told that I meet the qualifications and have the experience but they would rather take a person with a degree (theory) over someone with just practical applications. So imagine a lab full of Master Degree students who have no clue what any of the equipment is because they never seen them.
This is another way or society is just going rampant nuts. They focus more on theory than practical. You have a lot of dumb people who are wonderful in theory, but can’t put shit together to say their life , and vice versa. Just because you have graduated with a 4.0 means nothing.
What it does mean is that you were the best in your class at memorizing the material. Think about that. The more you memorize the easier it is to train you.
Will I still go to college and get a degree? Yes I will. Why? Because a BA is almost equivalent to a HS diploma, and it won’t be long before fast food restaurants will like to know how any credits you have before you flip that burger. Education is becoming mandatory, even if we can’t afford to pay it back. That is the scariest thing.
All in all the Biotechnology program I was in peaked my interest enough in that I have a very clear point in what I am looking to major in.
Serenity in the Dark 