"Biologists take top job bragging rights"
Jun. 22nd, 2005 03:59 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
senoritafishThis was forwarded to me with the subject "Yay for biologists!" However, I should point out the disclaimer within:
Biologists take top job bragging rights
But not all in profession agree with analysis in latest almanac
By Gregory Weaver
gregory.weaver@indystar.com
November 27, 2002
What's it like to have the best job in the nation -- where low stress, good pay and personal rewards reign supreme? To find the answer, the question must be asked of biologists, according to the new edition of "Jobs Rated Almanac" (Barricade Books, $18.95).
Author Les Krantz rated biology the nation's top career based on pay, job security, potential growth, low stress, physical demands and work environment.
Rounding out the Top 5 are actuary, financial planner, computer systems analyst and accountant.
Local biologist Richard Root, supervisor of antibody research at Roche Diagnostics, agrees that he has a rewarding career. However, he is not so sure that it is bereft of stress -- or that all biology careers are lucrative.
"In my lab, we're juggling a lot of different projects and that can be challenging," Root said. "As far as pay, that can vary depending on what you decide to specialize in. I know a marine biologist who drives a taxi to help make ends meet."
Biology rose to the top of Krantz's rankings largely because the career's outlook is so bright. Employment is expected to grow 30 percent in the next decade, thanks to advances in human genome research and fears of bioterrorist attack.
Biologists earn an average of $92,000 a year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. (I make considerably less than this.)
Add those factors to biology's great work environment, and it bubbles to the top of the book's rankings.
"This book is about the real, honest-to-God, no-fooling-around workaday week," Krantz explained.
For instance, lumberjack and fisherman are rated as the nation's worst jobs because they are physically demanding and offer low wages.
Root said none of that matters as long as workers enjoy their profession and find it rewarding.
Root's fascination with biology began in the 1950s, when he started reading books about virus and microbe hunters.
"It was a revelation to see beyond what could be seen by the human eye," Root recalled. "It was a hidden world, and it's one that affects us at every level -- from basic survival on up."
His fate was sealed when he started selling Christmas cards as a teenager to buy his first microscope.
"I stopped by an elderly woman's home to make a sale, and when I told her what I was going to do with the money, she bought every box I had," Root recalled. "I was truly surprised. I didn't know my interest in biology would have such an effect on people."
These days, Root specializes in immunology and still is making a difference in people's lives.
In a Seattle lab, he played a key role in developing a test that can detect bladder cancer.
At Roche, he and his associates identify antibodies that can be used to determine what drugs are present in the body. The tests can be used to identify drug abusers or regulate doses of potent heart medicines.
"I'm in this game because it has a direct effect on people's health," Root said.
Biology's effect on the world is becoming more apparent to college students across the country as more attention is paid to the development of biotechnology jobs and the fight against bioterrorism, said Doug Lees, chairman of the biology department at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.
Its ranking as the nation's top career makes the spotlight shine a little brighter.
In just the past year, the number of biology majors at IUPUI has increased nearly 20 percent, Lees said.
"There are a lot of newsworthy things going on right now that deal with life sciences as a potential area for work, and a number of local concerns, such as Lilly and Roche, that would hire people in life sciences," said Lees.
But he, too, questions the characterization of biology as a low-stress career.
"For companies in fierce competition to get products to market, it's not so stress-free," Lees said. "Where the business area is pushing the science area, there are some stress points."
For those seeking jobs with less stress, the Jobs Rated Almanac suggests becoming a repairer of musical instruments or a florist.
Copyright 2002 IndyStar.com. All rights reserved
http://www.franklincollege.edu/bioweb/TOPCAREER.htm
"I know a marine biologist who drives a taxi to help make ends meet."
Biologists take top job bragging rights
But not all in profession agree with analysis in latest almanac
By Gregory Weaver
gregory.weaver@indystar.com
November 27, 2002
What's it like to have the best job in the nation -- where low stress, good pay and personal rewards reign supreme? To find the answer, the question must be asked of biologists, according to the new edition of "Jobs Rated Almanac" (Barricade Books, $18.95).
Author Les Krantz rated biology the nation's top career based on pay, job security, potential growth, low stress, physical demands and work environment.
Rounding out the Top 5 are actuary, financial planner, computer systems analyst and accountant.
Local biologist Richard Root, supervisor of antibody research at Roche Diagnostics, agrees that he has a rewarding career. However, he is not so sure that it is bereft of stress -- or that all biology careers are lucrative.
"In my lab, we're juggling a lot of different projects and that can be challenging," Root said. "As far as pay, that can vary depending on what you decide to specialize in. I know a marine biologist who drives a taxi to help make ends meet."
Biology rose to the top of Krantz's rankings largely because the career's outlook is so bright. Employment is expected to grow 30 percent in the next decade, thanks to advances in human genome research and fears of bioterrorist attack.
Biologists earn an average of $92,000 a year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. (I make considerably less than this.)
Add those factors to biology's great work environment, and it bubbles to the top of the book's rankings.
"This book is about the real, honest-to-God, no-fooling-around workaday week," Krantz explained.
For instance, lumberjack and fisherman are rated as the nation's worst jobs because they are physically demanding and offer low wages.
Root said none of that matters as long as workers enjoy their profession and find it rewarding.
Root's fascination with biology began in the 1950s, when he started reading books about virus and microbe hunters.
"It was a revelation to see beyond what could be seen by the human eye," Root recalled. "It was a hidden world, and it's one that affects us at every level -- from basic survival on up."
His fate was sealed when he started selling Christmas cards as a teenager to buy his first microscope.
"I stopped by an elderly woman's home to make a sale, and when I told her what I was going to do with the money, she bought every box I had," Root recalled. "I was truly surprised. I didn't know my interest in biology would have such an effect on people."
These days, Root specializes in immunology and still is making a difference in people's lives.
In a Seattle lab, he played a key role in developing a test that can detect bladder cancer.
At Roche, he and his associates identify antibodies that can be used to determine what drugs are present in the body. The tests can be used to identify drug abusers or regulate doses of potent heart medicines.
"I'm in this game because it has a direct effect on people's health," Root said.
Biology's effect on the world is becoming more apparent to college students across the country as more attention is paid to the development of biotechnology jobs and the fight against bioterrorism, said Doug Lees, chairman of the biology department at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.
Its ranking as the nation's top career makes the spotlight shine a little brighter.
In just the past year, the number of biology majors at IUPUI has increased nearly 20 percent, Lees said.
"There are a lot of newsworthy things going on right now that deal with life sciences as a potential area for work, and a number of local concerns, such as Lilly and Roche, that would hire people in life sciences," said Lees.
But he, too, questions the characterization of biology as a low-stress career.
"For companies in fierce competition to get products to market, it's not so stress-free," Lees said. "Where the business area is pushing the science area, there are some stress points."
For those seeking jobs with less stress, the Jobs Rated Almanac suggests becoming a repairer of musical instruments or a florist.
Copyright 2002 IndyStar.com. All rights reserved
http://www.franklincollege.edu/bioweb/TOPCAREER.htm
