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Interview
with James Dooley James discovered Shoreline’s Biotech program after working as an emergency technician. He wanted to go back to school to advance his career, but wasn’t sure how to get started. First he took biology and microbiology courses. Then he met Caralee Cheney, Program Chair at Shoreline Biotechnology Program and learned about the program. He enrolled and continued his education by taking chemistry courses, completing other prerequisites, and talking with other people in the program. “I came in to the lab on my own time to
do tissue cultures. The program emphasized trouble shooting when things
go wrong. I had to utilize experimental design, think about the issues
and explain why things went wrong, evaluate protocols and explain errors
and state what I would have done differently. “The two-year program training is hands-on, where you physically use the equipment and take it apart and learn how to run it. You must express some critical thinking to identify potential problems and how to fix them, so you need to understand the theory behind what you’re doing and why. “The Shoreline program offered me a three-month internship. As I switched fields, I wanted to know that an internship was part of the program so I could get some experience early in my new field of study.” James knew Sherree Friend, a graduate of the University of Washington Immunology Department, who taught at Shoreline. Sherree introduced him to Andy Farr, who interviewed James for an internship position. The three-month stint let James and Andy “test the waters,” both deciding to pursue the opportunity to work together on a permanent basis after the internship ended. “The Shoreline Biotech two-year degree was not transferable as an Associate of Arts Degree, so I took another year of core courses required for my AA degree. Most of the classes I took were very transferable to 4-year programs, so I just kept building on the basics. Now I’m planning to complete my degree in cell biology or neurobiology by taking six credits per quarter here at the U for free on a space available basis.” James says of his decision to complete the Shoreline program, “I came out of the two-year program with a lot of the basic skills I needed in a beginning job. I’d used a lot of the instruments and I was familiar with how they work. When I first came to the U, I was doing solution preparations and using basic sterile techniques I had learned in my courses. I knew how to read protocols objectively and how to trouble shoot.” Today, James gives input to the Shoreline Biotechnology program to update and ensure the relevancy of course content. He returns to the Shoreline campus on occasion to talk with students in Biotech classes. His advice for those interested in pursuing a Biotech career? “Get the hands-on training, because that’s what you’re going to use the most when you first start out. Learn critical thinking techniques and understand what you’re doing and why. Talk with others in the field to see what they’re doing. The opportunities are there if you just keep applying yourself.” |
