When you're considering what course to study and what career path you may want to take, it's important to ensure that whatever you choose, it is something that interests and excites you, and will keep you motivated for many years to come.
When you're thinking about your future career, it's important to remember that there are many different roles on offer within a specific field, and life sciences offers many opportunities.
Kayleigh Wilkins, Life Sciences Technician here at the university, told us a bit about her varied career so far, why she decided to work in life sciences, and why she loves what she does.
A life-long interest
Science (particularly biology) has always been a passion of mine, so having the chance to work in this area has always appealed to me. Before moving to BCU, I worked within NHS hospital laboratories in different departments including Medical Microbiology and Oncology Genetics, and I got my Master's qualification in Medical Genetics, which helped deepen my knowledge, and will hopefully help me to continue my career moving forward.
Enjoyment is key
During my lab days at the hospitals, I really enjoyed the fact that I was having an impact on a patient’s life, even though most patients do not know you exist! Nearly 70 per cent of decisions made by doctors and nurses are based on the lab results that we provide, so even though you have no patient contact you are having a direct effect on the level of care patients receive, and making a real difference to their (hopeful) recovery.
Working here at BCU, I really enjoy helping students out with their practical sessions, and making them something that they look forward to doing, rather than dread! I like the fact that I can help them to develop their skills and passion for bioscience, and become keen future bioscientists.
The surprises keep coming
Every job has its quirks, and the life sciences and biomedicine fields still keep surprising me. I’m still amazed at how many different bodily fluids and body parts can be tested for microbiology, and although I expected to be running tests on blood and urine a lot during my Biology degree, I certainly didn’t expect to be presented with an eye ball and asked to run tests! You can learn so much from a whole organ or a tiny sample of cells – biology is fab.
Encouraging others
For me, life sciences is a field that is always expanding, so my interest and passion continues to grow with it. You can’t possibly learn about every microbe or gene in your degree, and therefore life in the lab as a worker becomes a whole new learning experience.
If you love science and biology, and have a keen interest in how things work, and enjoy learning new things, I would recommend a career in life science. There are so many options, and you could have a huge impact on patients’ lives here and now, or on future generations through gene research so the possibilities and rewards are endless.
Find your future career
If you're interested in a career in Life Sciences, take a browse of the different jobs you could go into after studying a degree in Biomedical Sciences or Biomedical Engineering.
