OCCUPATIONS
Examples of occupations that many Life Science graduates go
into are listed in this handout. You can find details of each of
the occupations - what they actually involve / what people do
day to day, how to get in, how your career might progress,
sources of vacancies and employers etc – by exploring this
website - www.prospects.ac.uk/links/Occupations. Type in the
occupation you’re interested in, in the search window, or click
on the relevant category under ‘Browse for jobs’. The Options
Folder in the Careers Advisory Service (CAS) includes copies
of most of these occupations. You can browse this folder and
other reference materials in Careers, if you prefer hard copies.
Broadly speaking, it’s useful to think of your options in terms of
the following broad categories 1. Options that directly relate to your life science degree
(laboratory based)
2. Options that directly relate to your life science degree
(field based, industry, office or hospital based etc)
3. Options that use your science background but involve
acquiring expertise in a new professional area
4. Options that use skills, rather than knowledge gained
on your degree and lead into new areas altogether
You will find here examples of occupations within each of the
above categories (some of the occupations could feature within
more than one category). The majority of these occupations are
open to all Life Science / bioscience graduates although a few
may be more relevant to specific degrees eg Biochemistry or
Microbiology or Biomedical Sciences.
Many of these require training or postgraduate study eg a
relevant MSc, MRes course and / or PhD, or specific
professional or vocational training, or on-the-job training whilst
employed. Learning continues even after leaving university.
Try and keep an open mind as you browse through this section
in order to become aware of new options, as well as checking
your understanding of occupations you are already familiar with.
1. Examples of occupations that directly relate to your life
science degree (laboratory based)
The following are examples of roles for Life Scientists that directly relate
to your degree and are laboratory-based. These include roles in research
and development, whether based in a university or industry sector eg food
and drink, pharmaceutical, as well as government laboratories, defence
organisations or the NHS.
Scientific R & D
research scientist (life science)
research scientist (medical)
scientist, process development
scientist, industrial research
analytical chemist
agriculture research scientist
fisheries research scientist
food technologist
industrial microbiologist
marine scientist
plant breeder / geneticist
product / process development scientist
soil scientist
technical brewer
toxicologist
forensic scientist
public analyst
scientific laboratory technician
Medical related scientific services (see next section as well)
-
clinical biochemist
biomedical scientist (MLSO)
clinical scientist, tissue typing
clinical cytogeneticist
-
clinical molecular geneticist
clinical / medical technologist
genetic technologist
haematologist
immunologist
microbiologist
clinical microbiologist
N.B. Details of all the above occupations can be found on
www.prospects.ac.uk/links/occupations
2. Examples of occupations that directly relate to your life
science degree (field, industry, office, hospital based etc)
-
product / process development
food technologist
clinical research associate
-
ecologist
biological field surveyor
nature conservation officer
nature conservation adviser
zookeeper
animal technologist
-
environmental consultant
environmental auditor
water quality scientist
occupational hygienist
-
perfusionist
physiological scientist
radiation protection practitioner
audiological scientist
audiologist
N.B. Details of all the above occupations can be found on
www.prospects.ac.uk/links/occupations
3. Examples of occupations that use your science
background but involve acquiring expertise in a new
professional area
The following are examples of roles for Life Scientists where your
scientific background provides a way in, but where additional skills and
expertise may be required as well as further training. Opportunities are
to be found in health sector, in education, in administration /
policy, in management, as well as in science / technical writing,
science administration, science communication, editing,
teaching, science policy, management of science,
commercialisation of science, patent work etc.
Health / clinical
doctor, general practice
doctor, hospital
adult nurse
health promotion specialist
diagnostic radiographer
optometrist
physiotherapist
speech and language therapist
chiropractor
clinical psychologist
dentist
dietitian
hospital pharmacist
occupational therapist
sports therapist
Environmental / health + safety management / quality assurance
environmental manager
recycling officer
waste management officer
water conservation officer
countryside manager
energy manager
environmental manager
water operations manager
inspector of health and safety
quality assurance manager
Science communication / public engagement with science / media and
publishing
journalist (science media)
public relations officer (science-related organisation)
technical author
science writer
environmental education officer
broadcast journalist
magazine journalist
newspaper journalist
press sub-editor
commissioning editor
magazine features editor
picture researcher / editor
print production planner
publishing rights manager
film director
film/video production manager
programme researcher, broadcasting/film/video
runner, broadcasting/film/video
television production assistant
television film/video producer
Education
-
secondary school teacher
primary school teacher
teacher, Further Education College
lecturer, university / Higher Education
Patent work / information science / regulatory affairs
patent attorney
patent examiner
regulatory affairs officer
information scientist
Management / administration of science / science policy
health service manager (NHS)
fund-holding practice manager
company secretary
office manager
local government officer
civil service fast streamer
civil service fast streamer (science and engineering)
civil service administrator
diplomatic services operational officer
-
European Commission administrator
Intelligence analyst / officer
Political party agent
Education administrator
Arts administrator
Commercialisation of science / technology transfer / technical sales
medical sales representative
production manager
product / process development
food technologist
operational researcher
industrial buyer
logistics and distribution manager
N.B. Details of all the above occupations can be found on
www.prospects.ac.uk/links/occupations
It’s worth noting that this selection of possible occupations is
not complete or finite. If you’ve reviewed all of these and are
still looking for more ideas to widen your options further -
have a look at the ‘Related Occupations’ section of
any occupational profile of possible interest to you
-
read the handouts ‘What can I do with my degree?’
and ‘How to find out more about what I can do
with my degree?’ provided separately
-
research the suggested ‘Contacts and Resources’ of
any occupational profile of interest
-
research potential science-based employers by sector
– see Useful Weblinks section in this folder - to
identify organisations and employers whom you can
then approach direct
4. Examples of occupations for life science graduates in
new career areas altogether which use skills gained on
your degree
The following are examples of occupations open to graduates of
any numerate or any degree discipline. We’ve included them
here because they are popular choices for Imperial graduates in
Life Sciences and use many of the skills gained on your degree.
Although these careers are not related to your degree, they
require skills such as numerical ability, written and verbal
communication, analysing and evaluating, problem-solving etc.
These occupations could involve working with clients in a
relevant industry sector (such as pharmaceutical, health, food
and drink, the environment, energy / renewable, defence etc).
Or you could find yourself working in a different sector.
Many of these new careers entail further training towards a
particular professional qualification.
-
systems analyst
IT consultant
management consultant
statistician
financial manager
chartered accountant
chartered public finance account
solicitor
barrister
corporate financier
operational investment banker
investment analyst
marketing executive
public relations officer
training and development officer
international aid / development work
N.B. Details of all the occupations listed in this handout can be found
at www.prospects.ac.uk/links/occupations
It’s not possible to produce a complete list of all possible
occupations – we haven’t mentioned here many other potential
occupations, which are also open to graduates of any discipline.
Your choices will depend not just on your degree background
but on your individual skills, abilities, interests and values, as
well as any constraints or limiting factors (eg location).
When exploring occupations open to you, don’t narrow down
your search too early on. Try to keep an open mind and find out
what different jobs actually involve, without just relying on
existing preconceptions or stereotypes.
Consider carefully whether you have the necessary skills and if
not whether you’d like to develop them. Motivation is a key
factor. If you come across an occupations of interest, consider
also ‘related occupations’ – these feature on each of the
occupational profiles. In this way, you may be able to identify
groups of occupations or specific occupations where you wish to
focus your research and applications.
You may also find using Prospects Planner useful www.prospects.ac.uk/links/pplanner. If you still need help,
arrange to see a Careers Adviser.
Written by Jane Pooler, Careers Adviser, Imperial College
London - August 2011