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Interview
with Susan Bell Susan has a Bachelor of Science Degree with a double major in business and biology. She worked in the business sector for eight years before taking a break to marry and start a family. As she contemplated returning to work, Susan knew she wanted to work in the field of science, but didn’t know how to get started. Susan’s sister worked at ICOS in Bothell.
Susan’s interest in biotechnology grew as the two sisters talked
often. She met some people who spoke highly of Shoreline Community College’s
Biotechnology program and learned that graduates of the program had the
skills needed to land beginning positions in the field, largely because
of the hands-on training acquired there. She knew her 20-year-old biology
degree wouldn’t land her a job by itself, so she started taking basic
biology classes, math and chemistry to stimulate her brain to become active
again before taking the required classes. She spread the one-year Shoreline biotechnology program over two years and worked part time. Her course load was intense, with some quarters consisting of 18 credits. She found it challenging to get her course work done while sharing computer time with her two children, then first and seventh graders. During her two-years of study, one of Susan’s teachers told her about a job at Washington Biotechnical/Biomedical Association (WBBA.). She interviewed and landed that position, knowing it would be good way to learn about biotech companies. After working there for about 1-1/2 years, she heard about an internship at Targeted Genetics. “Even though I wasn’t required to do an internship (since I was going for a certificate of competency), my advisor suggested that it would be a great experience, and that I could earn college credits.” She decided to pursue the Targeted Genetics position aggressively, saying “I didn’t view the job as just an internship. I knew getting a foot in the door would be a huge benefit to my career as well as my education.” She felt the skills she gained would be immensely valuable to include in her resume, even if the internship did not lead to a permanent position. Skills such as hands-on laboratory techniques and completing the phenomenal amount of paperwork and protocols to meet FDA specifications would help her progress. She landed the job, and threw herself into learning all that she could. “The people at Targeted Genetics were so willing to let me observe and learn if I had free time over and above my internship job.” Near the end of her internship, Susan’s dedication paid off. Targeted Genetics had a permanent job opening that she fit quite well. She ended up as an assistant to the person she interned under. Her advice to people thinking about going into this field? “When I interviewed for this job, my future employers were impressed with the number of lab hours I had accumulated (500 actual documented hours from my biotech program). I gained a lot of hands-on experience in laboratory practices in my two-year program, so I didn’t have to go in and be taught those techniques. I learned a lot about notebook keeping. I had to keep my lab books as if I were on the job, because in the real world you need that attention to detail for complying with governmental regulations.” Recently Susan attended some hands-on training along with other researchers. Her instructor paid her a high compliment: “I was told I have much more practical experience than even Ph.D. candidates. Often the degreed candidates have the theoretical background, but they have to be taught how to work in a lab, how to work with pipettes, how to use the equipment and instrumentation, what to do with the data, and how to do basic solution preparation and serial dilutions. I already knew those things, so I could progress faster.” Likewise, Susan speaks highly of her employer: “The people at Targeted Genetics are so 'pro' interns. They realize the positive benefits of having an intern, such as introducing people to the work and the industry (especially people who enjoy doing research), hopefully creating some interest in the company and vice versa.” |
