Popular Technology Degrees

Your Biotechnology Degree: A Key to the Future

May 2, 2005
by Martin A. David
martin.david@hqpublications.com
Technology Columnist

People who choose a career in biotechnology are really investing in the future. Not only are they entering a field that is growing—jobs in biotechnology have doubled in the past decade—but they are also helping build the future.

Among those responsible for the fact that your life expectancy has risen from 45 years to over 80 years of age in the past century is an army of biotechnologists. That army is growing and you can be part of it. If you enjoyed the biology courses you took in school, you may ready for a biotechnology career.

Beyond the University

If you think of biotechnology as a career that can only lead to a position as a college professor, you are wrong. Today there are jobs in more than one sector of industry that require biotechnology training.


A whole range of skills from the life science field are required for the everyday work of almost every hospital, laboratory or pharmaceutical company. The discovery of disease causes and the creation of drugs to cure those diseases is part of the work done by biotechnologists.

Of course, not all the work is done inside a laboratory. If you enjoy working outdoors and in unusual surroundings, there are careers in, among others, marine biology and oil exploration that make use of biotechnology training.

The Challenge of Biotech

Biotechnology scientists are finding and crossing new frontiers all the time. Advancements such as dna testing and unlocking the secrets of cell biology have all come from the theories and studies of researchers with biotechnology training. Biotechnology is a scientific career that is still growing and will keep growing long into the future.

About the Author

Martin A. David consults as a Senior Technical Writer for a number of Silicon Valley firms. He is also a translator, specializing in Danish, French and Spanish literary works. He has written numerous feature articles for publications including the Los Angeles Times. He has also published a novel, and a non-fiction book in the area of dance. Martin earned his B.A. in Liberal Arts from Brooklyn College in his native New York. He currently chairs the Santa Clara Cultural Advisory Commission in Santa Clara, California.