Should I do Year in Industry

any thoughts from masters students on whether doing a year in industry within your integrated masters programme is worthwhile? or whether better to crack on withe student so not to loose momentum

Reply 1

Scienceisgood

As someone who had GREAT difficulty finding their first job after graduating (was unemployed for around a year with many rejections due to lack of experience), I can say if you are offered a year in industry.

TAKE IT.

Reply 2

louisvohayes

appreciate the advice. did you study Science as an undergrad? if so what edge did that give you do you think ?

Reply 3

Scienceisgood

Original post by louisvohayes

appreciate the advice. did you study Science as an undergrad? if so what edge did that give you do you think ?

I studied Biomedical Science as an undergraduate degree and thinking I wanted to go into teaching and stay in it for the rest of my life (I was VERY wrong), I wouldn’t need or want to do the year in industry which my university course offered.

After going onto a teaching course and realising I absolutely hated teaching (secondary science), I then left the course in December 2019 and guess what happened in December 2019… (the plague hit).

So, having spent a year applying for jobs and keep getting rejections for having no experience, I got lucky and managed to find a job in December 2020 (officially employed in Jan 2021) as a Medical Lab Assistant before getting a promotion to an Associate Practitioner 3 months later (this was genuine luck as they were looking for anyone and everyone to take jobs at the lighthouse labs to manage the pandemic).

I kept this job until March 2022, only for labs to close when the pandemic was brought to a very quick halt by BozoJohnson…

Luckily the lab was opened up again just 3 months later and the lab employed back their top 10% of people, of which I was one of them. Of which I stayed on for a year having been offered my IBMS Portfolio (legal requirement to become a state registered BMS).

I have mostly finished it now (have been informed they will continue to allow me access to the lab as there were very significant delays in marking my work throughout the year and they say they owe it to me) but left my job last week as I will be doing my MSc this year in Biomedical Science as I feel I need it to get the higher banded jobs.

So, education is all well and good but please, you will need experience as knowledge and knowing how to use it in the correct circumstances are very different things.

Sorry for the essay. 😐

(edited 8 months ago)

Reply 4

Scienceisgood

I will give you one example though of how having too much knowledge can actually be a detriment to applying for a job though.

Shortly after losing my job initially (maybe 4-5 weeks after leaving), I attended an interview only to be turned down for doing TOO WELL in the interview, of which the email response is quoted below (I asked the reason why I didn’t get offered the job and for any hints as to how I could improve);

Of course *insert my name* Funnily enough I would say you came over as too technical. You are obviously a thinking and in another role that would be a big attribute but for a Band 4 role there was a little too much detail. It would be helpful to take one step back. To prove your molecular skills but perhaps in a more succinct manner?

Does that make sense?

*insert interviewers name*