1. What exactly do you do?
- What field is your job in?
Biotechnology/Research - What is your job title?
Laboratory Research Assistant - Please provide a brief description of the firm or organization that you currently work for (size and general description of what type of organization it is)
University of California, San Francisco
- How long have you been employed in this position?
8 Years - How many hours do you work a week on average?
40 - Please provide a BRIEF description of your duties and responsibilities. (job description)
40 - Please provide a BRIEF description of your duties and responsibilities. (job description)
Our laboratory's focus is on pancreatic cancer, and we are currently investigating the predisposing role diabetes plays in this particular type of cancer. We are also investigating new research methodologies as to how to approach further laboratory research on this particular disease. As a research assistant in this position, I collect blood, malignant cancer samples, and non-tumor serum samples from patients, amplify DNA and RNA from these samples, and perform other basic laboratory duties that can easily be learned quickly.
- What was your gross income last year? Please include any bonuses or incentives received.
55000 - What is your expected gross income for this year? Please include any bonuses or incentives you expect to receive.
55000 - Please list any benefits you have (Please include number of weeks vacation, sick leave and type of health insurance, retirement plan 401k)
401K, dental benefits, medical insurance - Do you feel you are under/well/over compensated at your current position?
No
2. Work environment!
- Does your job entail you working with others on a daily basis? Is this something you like/dislike about your job? Explain
Yes and no. For the most part, this job requires constant seclusion in the laboratory basement, with minimal contact with the outside environment. I do however, work with fellow colleagues who work together to conduct research projects. And this is on a daily basis. I do sometimes resent being secluded in a basement kind of environment, but I am more excited about my job so I don't mind.
- Do you work collaboratively with supervisors/managers?
Yes - Do you work collaboratively with your co-workers?
Yes - Describe your work location (e.g., office, home, theatre, in the field) and what you like/dislike about working in it
It is in an academic research campus, in a basement-like of setting. I love working here because there is continual interaction between researchers and I, even though I have minimal contact with the outside world for the majority of the day.
- Please rank in order of importance from 1-8 (1- most important 8- least important) Assign each number once.
- 6 Income
- 7 Work Environment - co-workers
- 5 Work Environment - supervisors
- 4 Benefits
- 8 Hours
- 1 Level of responsibility
- 2 The actual "work" you do at your job
- 3 Job Title
3. How should someone new to the workforce get a J-O-B like yours?
- If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
Someone new to the workforce should at least acquire an associates degree in biological sciences or in biotechnology because that is the minimal requirement. I would also recommend doing some minor internships prior to applying for this position because only then can the individual pick up some basic laboratory skills that will come in handy on the very first day of the job!
- What skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a position like yours? Please be specific and explain why (e.g., social skills, organization skills, technical skills)
Technical skills are a must, but more importantly, organizational skills is also essential. Technical skills involve using pipettes, performing mathematical calculations, and knowing the protocols of how and when to extract DNA and RNA, etc. Organizational skills are also very important because sometimes the research can be quite tedious, and a simple mistake because of misorganization can ruin the entire experiment.
- Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
At least an associates degree. - What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
Please make sure you are interested in this type of work, being secluded in a laboratory for 8 or 9 hours a day, and you truly enjoy working with human blood samples!
4. How did you get your J-O-B
- How did you find your current job? (e.g. newspaper, internet, referral, etc.)
I found this position advertised on Craigslist. - What was the application process for your job? (e.g. submitted resume, paper application, electronic application, all, etc.)
Submitted resume and cover letter - Did you have to interview for your current job? If yes, what did the interview process entail? (e.g., number of interviews, who you interviewed with, group interview, individual interview, etc.)
Yes, I did have an interview for this job. It was about 20 minutes long, and was an individual interview. Quite standard for this type of job. - If you can remember, what questions were you asked at your interview?
1) Why do you want this position? 2) What skills can you bring to our laboratory? 3) Do you know anything about pancreatic cancer and why are you interested in pursuing this type of research? 4) Can you think of one time in your life where you were a leader of some sort? - Is this the job / field you planned to work in?
Yes - If your job is in a different field from your original plan how did you get here? Explain (Plan can be from high school/college/post college/personal plan)
No, I knew I wanted to go into research
5. Background: Are you qualified?
- Was there training for your current position? If yes, what did it entail?
Yes, I learned how to follow the experimental protocols in this laboratory during the first few months on the job. But overtime, the same protocols are applied and it just becomes a part of my memory. Prior to this job, I also did an internship where I learned to pick up the basic skills of research, including pipetting, extracting DNA and RNA, replicating nucleic acids, maintaining cell lines, and freezing blood and serum samples. - Do you feel your employer properly prepared you for your job? Explain
Yes, very much. I have no problems now. - Do you feel your educational background prepared you for your job? Explain
Yes, I have a bachelors degree in biological sciences and all of the research I currently do I have learned about as an undergraduate in college. - If applicable, do you feel your internship experience helped you prepare you for your job?
6. The Future and Beyond (FINAL SECTION)
- If someone were to observe you at work, what would he or she say is "fun" about your job?
They would say that the research aspect is fun. And when I actually acquire successful results in my research, or when my experiments have gone right, I become very excited. Again, this job requires that individuals truly love research, so when we get good results, we have fun! - What is (are) the most fulfilling aspect(s) and least fulfilling aspect(s) of your current employment? (e.g. fiscal, spiritual, type of work, hours, commute, compensation, etc.)
The compensation is quite decent in my opinion, and the work hours are actually quite flexible. I do work about 40 hours a week, but I come in around 8 or 9 in the morning, as there is not actual set time we can come in. As long as we can get our experiments done for the day, we should be fine. - Is your current employment part of your career plan? Why or why not?
Yes, I am interested in a career in research. I plan on going back to school, after a long hiatus of course, to pursue a masters degree in genetics or physiology. - What are your current career goals? (Can be broad or specific)
Yes, I am interested in a career in research. I plan on going back to school, after a long hiatus of course, to pursue a masters degree in genetics or physiology. - Is there anything else you would like to share about your career?
None
7. A Day in the Life Of...
- 7 am - 8 am
- 8 am - 9 am
Arrival at the laboratory. I check my cells lines first, and then split the cells because they have already become confluent and have grown too much in the flask. - 9 am - 10 am
I take out some of my cancer samples, thaw them, and then proceed to perform a DNA extraction procedure and subsquent amplification procedure. This process will last me for the next 3 hours. - 10 am - 11 am
Still working on my DNA extraction procedure and subsequent amplification procedure. - 11 am - 12 am
Still working on my DNA extraction procedure and subsequent amplification procedure. - 12 am - 1 pm
- 1 pm - 2 pm
Still working on my DNA extraction procedure and subsequent amplification procedure. - 2 pm - 3 pm
I now have my samples ready. I store these samples for future usage in our frozen storage area. From yesterday's experiments, my job now is to run gel electrophoresis on yesterday's DNA samples just to observe the bands. - 3 pm - 4 pm
Still working on my DNA extraction procedure and subsequent amplification procedure. - 4 pm - 5 pm
Still working on gel electrophoresis -- there are 30 samples and two small machines, so it takes me quite some time. - 5 pm - 6 pm
Still working on gel electrophoresis -- there are 30 samples and two small machines, so it takes me quite some time. - 6 pm - 7 pm
Finally, gel electrophoresis is done. I take pictures of the gels after staining them with SYBR Gold. After taking pictures, the day is over and I go home. - 7 pm - 8 pm
- 8 pm - 9 pm
- 9 pm - 10 pm
- 10 pm - 11 pm
- 11 pm - 12 pm