Just knowing how to sequence, run PCR or decode a genome isn’t sufficient in the modern era. The reason – AI, social media and automation!
It’s been almost like 8 years since I completed my studies, and trust me, life isn’t what we think. Skills our college or PhD taught us aren’t sufficient to survive in the market.
And I always tell my students not to rely only on a single skill. Learn new things, new skills and something that adds value to your life or uplifts your career. Otherwise, someone else will force you to learn!
The choice is yours! By the way, in this article, I will list 7 skills that I learned after my education and what my genetics degree didn’t teach me.
Sounds interesting?
Stay tuned.
Related article: 10 High-Paying Freelance Opportunities In Genetics [No Lab Work Needed]
Key Topics:
Typing and Writing
Sounds weird, right? How many pages can you write in a day? I can write 10 to 20 pages a day or even more, with speed, precision and very low typing errors. You can’t! I learned this skill – typing. And writing too.
I learn how to write without checking keys, worrying about the spelling or grammar. I also learned various writing types and understand how to write educational content, create emotions, engage readers, etc.
You won’t believe it, but learning only these two skills helps you build the entire business empire. I did that.
By the way, writing is a daily job of a scientist or geneticist.
Trivia:
Want to master writing? Use the typing tutorial and practice; both are free.
Using AI
AI skills are mandatory now! You need to know how to use various AI tools and generate ‘meaningful’ outcomes. I highlighted ‘meaningful’, if you noticed. The reason, most people are not using AI efficiently.
I don’t use AI the way most students do. I know how it usually goes — you ask AI to
- explain a gene,
- help with an assignment,
- write a thesis chapter or paragraph,
- cite sources, or
- even proofread and rewrite the text.
But that’s not how I work with AI. Most people are using AI the wrong way. Here’s how I use it effectively:
- I ask it to find 5 top peer-reviewed sources to understand concepts like “what is a gene.”
- I use it to help structure an overview of my thesis.
- I upload research papers and ask for summaries, conclusions, methods used, and data extraction.
- What don’t I do? I never ask it to proofread or rewrite blindly.
That’s the correct way to use it. Remember, it is an AI assistant, not an educator. In addition, we can prepare images, illustrations, videos, and presentations with AI; you should have to learn this skill to survive in the market.
Optimization
Your master’s or even doctorate-level expertise in wet lab isn’t sufficient. To work in a real lab, in an actual molecular lab, you need to learn optimization and troubleshooting.
You need to do research to understand why your run failed, what you can do to improve it, how to standardize a new assay, etc. Just doing pipetting isn’t relevant.
So carefully observe your failures, make notes and try troubleshooting them.
Read more: 10+ Career Options That Combine DNA Technology and Medicine.
Web design
Out of syllabus for you – web design? It wasn’t in my syllabus either. And I never wondered, I have to learn it. I learned everything related to website design and WordPress and built a website from scratch.
It’s still running. No one taught me, but life is unexpected. For cost-cutting, I learned it. And here, I am! I can make a website, do SEO and rank it on Google. Meaning, generate business.
Digital marketing
After building my blog and consistently uploading content, the next challenge was reaching people. That’s when I unlocked a new skill — digital marketing.
Keep noted, I am a geneticist! I learned everything – SEO, advertising, ranking, indexing, social media campaigns, sales, etc. And let me tell you, if I quit today, what I am doing, I can easily join any digital marketing company. That much knowledge I have.
Communication
At Genetic Education, we are educating students, covering news and research, guiding students and helping set up labs and businesses. So, I frequently have to meet people either online or offline.
To get the business, convert leads or engage students in the class, I need to have strong communication skills. It doesn’t matter if you are an introvert or an extrovert; you have to be skilled with communication.
You need to understand the person, their mood, requirements and expectations, and accordingly, you have to communicate!
Trivia:
Be real, talk slowly and respect each other, that’s the way to communicate.
Building business
Strong businesses can only be built by a strong mindset and skills. When I learned all these things, I generated website traffic and leads, communicated with hundreds of clients and thousands of students, and learned how to build a business.
It isn’t my first attempt; I failed a couple of businesses in the past. But now I know the basic foundation of any business – branding, marketing and even sales. The reason? I learned and executed all these by myself.
College often taught us how to get a job, but not how to build businesses, how to be resilient, confident and patient. You need all these traits to build a business.
It is possible, you might not be interested in doing business, but even if you join a startup, a company or an organization, you have to do that. The end goal of any job is to build business for the organization.
Then why not learn that? Instead of only being a lab person or scientist, you can become a general manager or CEO. Trust me!
Related article: Why You Won’t Find a Job Called ‘Genetic Engineer’ (and What to Search Instead).
Wrapping up:
Life is full of challenges and problems. I am in the industry, I visit labs, give guest lectures, meet entrepreneurs, and work with other businesses. I know how challenging it is, in recent times, to survive in the industry.
Trust me, your skill sets aren’t relevant until you upgrade and add some. No need to learn all, but master at least one skill from the above list. Trust me, it will be a major boost in your career.
If you just started your career or are already established, try anyone, you will get recognition or a career transition, I bet.
I hope you enjoyed this article. Do share it and subscribe to Genetic Education.
