Careers Project: Geneticists
By Alec Nagel
Branch of Science
I believe that geneticists would fall under life science, because they research genes in plants and animals
Education Path
Degree: The degree I chose was cell biology. Cell biology is a class where you study cells. You study living cells of either plants, animals, or micro organisms.
Some good high school courses to take in order to prepare yourself for cell biology are, advanced biology classes, chemistry, and physics.
Some good college courses to take in order to be good at cell biology are, genetics, biochemistry, biology, and gene structure and function.
Training School and College
The college I chose was the one and only, Harvard University.
I chose this college, because I have always dreamed of going there. Also, Harvard offers the degree and it is where the smart people go. It's located in Cambridge, Massachusetts and it is a 4-year private school. Harvard is located in the beautiful urban part near Boston. The student to faculty ratio is 7:1.
Academics for Harvard
In order to attend Harvard you're going to need a really high GPA. Also, you need a SAT score of 1,340 or higher. You need an ACT score of 28 or higher. Harvard isn't an easy school to get in to.
Things About Geneticists (About The Job)
Geneticists sounded like an interesting job to me. They research causes of disease and genes from different species. Currently, geneticist is a hot job. Sometimes geneticists are asked to take two different plants or animals, and combine them to make one hybrid creature. That is awesome! Plus, geneticists work for hospitals or drug companies. They mostly work in a lab
What Factors Affect Employment For Geneticists?
Well, being a geneticist is a hot job so availability may be lower than other jobs. However, in Wisconsin and Minnesota, there are lots of spots available. Madison, WI alone employs 1,500 geneticists a year. This is relatively the same rate nationally.
Salary for Geneticists
An experienced geneticist in Wisconsin makes around $86,590 a year. Experienced geneticists nationally make about $142,800. That's a big difference!
Employer
The employer I chose was Genevita LLC. It's located right in Green Bay, WI.
Summary
In conclusion, I think that I may want to be a geneticist one day. It sounds really fun. What other job allows you to mix animals together? This job pays pretty well too. Overall, geneticist could be the job for me.
Resources
-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetics
-http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/79/Zinc_finger_DNA_complex.png