Hello there,
I am a GP Dentist graduated 2 years ago attempted to work in my field many times but i never forget my interest in programming and coding since young age ending up in a hard decision right now after all of that effort i took a decision to start to study more in programming and using my biological background i am trying hard to get more into bioinformatics and data science field, started this by taking a diploma in bioinformatics and courses in python and R and ML, i just have few questions hoping i can get an answer for:
1- what are the minimum requirements for a bioinformatician so you can actually start working in industries. 2- is there a way i can find entry level or medium level projects here on the website or other websites if anyone can recommend a freelance website maybe that i can work on to gain more experience? 3- regarding the data science field what are the minimum requirements also so i can start working in such a field? since my background is biological background not a technical one
At the end i would really appreciate any advice from your side so please feel free to give me some hints and some ideas and any tip that you think i would help.
Thank you all.
Feel to me that the entire job market, both IT and life sciences in the Western world seem pretty saturated right now, which essentially means that beginner positions are very hard to find. You need a fair amount of experience to be interesting to employers, now more than ever since the rise of AI has unlocked very basic computational skills to an even broader audience. Generally, I don't see how "real science", that is hands-on analysis on real world realistic scientific data" could really be trained to a professional level outside of a position in industry or academia. It's all complex, fiddling with details, asking the right questions with the right data and interacting with people in the field to make the entire analysis fitting and meaningful to the overall project. Sure you can learn some R and data analysis techniques, but as said, the real experience that you need you gain inside a project. We made the experience over the years that understanding of the biology and the overall context is way more important than being good at stats or coding. Work was always hardest for actual hands-on analysis to reveal interesting biology with "pure" CS or math people, rather than biologists who developed some bioinformatics skills.
Have you considered a PhD position? In these you can develop your skillset while not immediately under pressure to deliver results, as could be the case in industry?
I’m also quite sure that real experience comes from actually working in the field, not just studying. I know this field isn’t as easy for beginners as it used to be, especially with the rise of AI. My question is: can I find a project that I can start working on now alongside my studies? Is that possible? And if so, where can I find such opportunities?
The best bet may be to look for such opportunities locally. You can meet the researchers in person, convince them of your interest and show willingness to learn about the biology they are interested in. You will likely get no compensation initially but it may allow you to get your foot in the door.
I can’t thank you all enough for your advice I really appreciate it. I’ll do my best to find someone to work with. One more question, if I may: is it any different if I’m interested in the development sector? Or is it basically the same, where I still need to find a researcher to work with?
Development like developmental biology, or development like software development? No, that would be entirely different. One is hands-on life science with strong requirements to understand the biology you analyze, the other more applied CS with strong focus on coding, maybe algorithms and maybe deployment/DevOps and stuff, depending what you do.