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Career Corner: Microbiology Careers and Related Jobs
There are endless Microbiology careers with a wide array of interests, skills, and degrees required. As we always say, there is no facet of life not touched by microbes and thus there are no careers where you are not interacting with the microbial world! I dare you to prove me wrong. Microbes are everywhere in our jobs, at our homes and how much you acknowledge them is up to you! Obviously there are some paths that are more specific to microbiology careers and that is what we discuss here!
Being a microbiologist is often being a master of a number of subjects in addition to being a microbiologist. As a microbiologist or microbe-enthused individual, you obviously have attention to detail. You care about the little things! You have an interest in communicating with a world beyond your fingertips and are challenged to find new realities and new strategies for your future. Microbe-oriented people are great at organization, even if it is an organized mess like Alexander Flemming!
From the health of our pets to our own health to the health of our crops, microbiology careers are everywhere. There is also a number of career options that revolve around education from high school to being a professor at a research institution to liberal arts or community college. Microbiologists are needed in the industry, the government, and of course academia. From diagnosing diseases to curing the earth of pollution to the food we eat, literally, nothing is out of reach for a microbiologist. No matter what your hobbies are, they can be paired with microbiology. I dare you to prove me wrong in a comment below!
Whether you are microbe curious or have a Ph.D. in microbiology many microbiology career paths can be suited for all levels. On this page, we talk about some of the most prominent career options for microbiologists. Here are some of the top careers for microbiologists:
1. Biotechnologist / Industry Researchers
2. Clinical Laboratory Scientist / Diagnostics
3. Food Scientists
4. Immunologist / Epidemiologist
5. Astro(micro)biology
6. Science Communication / Science Writing / Journalist
7. Medical Writer / Academic Editor / Science Publisher / Technical Writer
8. Teaching (All levels and all institutions!)
9. Biosafety
10. Quality Control / Quality Assurance
11. Public health and Related Careers
12. Bioinformatician / Biostatistician / Medical Informaticist
13. Academic / Government Research Staff
14. Medical Science Liaison / Technical Sales Representative / Marketing Specialist
15. Field Application Specialist / Technical Support Specialist / Field Application Specialist / Product development scientist or engineer
Guest Post With Us!
Are we missing any microbiology careers you'd like to see? Or do you have expertise in a field not discussed here and you'd like to add a guest post? We'd love to hear from you! Just send us an email to microbigals@gmail.com or message us on social media with the links below. There are many microbiology careers we couldn't possibly cover all but we want to cover all the microbiology careers that are of interest to our community!
Motivation Behind
Microbiology Career Corner
Hi everyone it's Tess! I have a Ph.D. in Genetics, Genomics, and Bioinformatics from the University of California Riverside. I started this site because I love microbes, think they get a lot of really bad PR and I finished my Ph.D. at the start of the pandemic (I found myself with a lot of free time).
I knew I wanted a microbiology career but I really didn't know what that meant. We all grow up being asked the same old question, "what do you want to be when you grow up?" But it's hard to know what you want to be when you grow up when your knowledge is so limited. Most people when they think microbiology career can come up with only a few career paths: professor, clinical microbiologist, pharmaceutical/industry microbiologist. These are all phenomenal career paths.....for the right person. I never felt I fit into these cultures but I loved microbes, some would say I more than a little obsessed. So what do I want to be when I grow up?
Like most millennials, I am still asking myself that question. But I'm asking it actively, not passively. I understand I need more knowledge. I need to understand what is out there for careers in microbiology before I can make the decision that is best for me.
In grad school, this is the number one question I ask people: "what career are you most interested in?" And 90% of people answer these questions the same! They don't know! PhDs and school train you in a lot of things but rarely does it provide career planning resources or options. And if they do, who has time for that!
So the motivation behind Microbiology Career Corner is twofold, one to help me learn and understand all the options in microbiology careers so I can make the best decision for myself, and two to help others like me, who feel stuck, unguided, and without resources. I hope these blog posts will at the very least open your eyes to all the options you have as a microbe-oriented person. I hope they allow you to spend some time on what you want and what you most value in a career. Microbiology Careers are limitless and there are so many more than what I have provided here.
I hope this resource in Microbiology Careers serves you well!