Biotechnology is an interdisciplinary field merging biology, computer science, and engineering disciplines such as electrical and mechanical engineering. Graduates in Biotechnology or related disciplines (biosciences, food technology, food sciences, agriculture, bioinformatics, agronomy, or agricultural sciences) have three career pathways:
1. Academia
2. Industry
3. Entrepreneurship
Academic Pathway:
The academic pathway involves obtaining a master's, PhD, and postdoctoral degrees, leading to careers such as:
- Professorships in universities
- Secondary and high school teaching
- Freelance education platforms
- Research student
- Professional bioinformatician
- Scientific officer
For these roles, maintaining a high CGPA and strong subject knowledge is essential.
How to Get into School, College, and Academy Teaching:
- Start early by giving home tuition.
- Prepare a CV with at least a year of experience and apply to academies.
- Build connections with teachers in academies, which will help in job hunting and securing tuition opportunities.
- Continue your degree up to a master's level.
- After obtaining a master’s degree, apply for school and college teaching jobs using your academy experience.
How to Get into Professorship:
- Complete BS, MS, and PhD degrees, sometimes followed by a postdoctorate.
- Based on your profile, research experience, and final year projects, seek full funding to study abroad for a PhD or post-doctorate.
- You can either settle abroad or return to Pakistan to apply for professorships at universities.
- Success in this field depends on your research skills, critical thinking, and internships in national or private institutions.
Freelance Tutor:
- Utilize platforms like Preply, Upwork, and Fiverr to teach students globally and write scientific articles.
- Bioinformatics is a related field where you can offer your services as a freelance bioinformatician, analyzing biological data with coding skills.
Scientific Officers:
Government and private research institutes such as NIH and NARC offer jobs for biotech graduates.
Research Asisstants :
Research labs in universities, governmental research institutions, and private labs offer research assistant roles to work on their projects and train new students and interns.
3- Industry Pathway:
Biotechnologists have various opportunities in the industry depending on their skills and interests. Continuous skill updating and relevant certifications are crucial.
Food and Beverage Industry:
Knowledge of biochemistry, food science, and human physiology is required. Companies in this sector include:
- Hico (ice cream)
- Walls
- Meezan Group (beverages, oils, etc.)
- Qarshi
- Hamdard Laboratories
- Engro Foods
- Murree Brewery
- Shan Foods
- National Foods
- PepsiCo
- Nestlé
Pharmaceuticals Industry:
Biotechnologists are hired in quality assurance, quality control, drug testing, laboratory technician, and microbiologist roles. With marketing skills and certifications, one can advance to managerial positions. Companies in this domain include:
- GlaxoSmithKline
- Abbott Laboratories
- Herbion
- Pharma Lord
- Qarshi Laboratories
- Hamdard Laboratories
Biosafety area:
If you are a biotechnologist working in the pharmacy and get a law degree, you can be a part of their law team and defend companies in court.
Bioinformatician:
Bioinformatics is an interdisciplinary field that merges coding skills with your biology knowledge to make new apps, databases, novel approaches towards drug delivery and drug design, and anti-microbial and anti-fungal resistance solutions. You can select a specific domain in bioinformatics i.e
- Genomics
- Proteomics,
- Single-cell analysis,
- AI and ML drug discovery,
- Drug design etc
You can get a job by
- making a portfolio in the field
- reproducing existing data and graphs and
- analyzing new data for research
- building your own projects.
This can lead to remote jobs in foreign countries or in Pakistan and you can do a remote master’s or PhD in the subject area. The option for switching to IT, data science, data analysis, and software app development is also there.
Atomic Energy Commission:
The Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) offers MS fellowships for biotech graduates, training them in nuclear medicine and related areas, leading to placements in hospitals and research institutes.
Bureaucracy:
Preparation for the CSS exam can lead to a career in bureaucracy.
How to Get Industry Jobs:
- Start with internships in nutrition and quality assurance departments of health institutes (e.g., NIH, Islamabad), pharmacies, and food companies during your degree.
- These companies offer summer internships paid and unpaid , or you can visit their main production branch with a detailed CV and ask for internships.
- Gain relevant knowledge through courses in business and marketing.
- Connect with companies via LinkedIn and email their hiring officers to seek internships.
- Entepreneurship:
Biotechnologists with sound knowledge can start various businesses:
- Food and Beverage Business: You can make cost-effective food and beverage products and sell them to restaurants like Cheezious, Ranchers, Kebab Jee's, and others involved in the fast food domain ( make cost-effective cheese with your knowledge of biology and reduce the cost )
- Paper Products and Printing: Develop cost-effective paper products.
- Beauty and cosmetics: The knowledge of biochemistry allows you to make less or non-hazardous creams, which you can either sell by yourself or pitch to a cosmetics company.
- Dairy products: items like yogurts and their forms (greek, kefir, skyr, frozen yogurts, and other milk-related products such as ice creams, etc ).
- Gym and fitness trainer: You can be a fitness and nutritional coach, be a freelance nutrition counselor, or start your own gym ( guide people on how to build their bodies and stay fit with knowledge of biochemistry ).
- Genetic Counselor: People with a deep understanding of genes and how metabolic systems work can be a genetic counselor, working in health clinics, hospitals, and online counseling sessions.
BONUS TIP:
Your final-year project, industry, or research internships can decide which path you can go in the career landscape of biotechnology, so choose wisely.
you can go abroad during your undergraduate and graduate studies for research internships ( research options about it ).
Biotechnology offers diverse and promising career paths in Pakistan, both in academia and industry. With dedication, continuous learning, and practical experience, biotechnologists can significantly contribute to various sectors and build successful careers.
