So, my sister was laid off from her job as a civil engineer recently, which was a blessing in disguise because she was already planning on leaving this fall to start a doctorate in bioengineering. After months of wrangling to get a sponsor in the program, she has one, but she has just been told that her job prospects after graduation will be either in Boston, DC, or California. The problem is, she absolutely wants to stay here in Charleston, SC.
Now, she’s thinking of getting a job at Whole Foods (she’s big into nutrition) and forgetting about the bioengineering all together.
I just can’t stop thinking about how good an opportunity this bioengineering program will be, and I really want her to do it, but I also understand that she loves Charleston and doesn’t want to leave.
Are there prospects for a bioengineer that we’re not thinking of? Does anyone have any advice that I could pass her way? Or, should she forget about it if she’s not willing to move?
Here in Pittsburgh, Bioengineering tracks include cellular organ engineering,biomechanics, biosignals, physiology and biophysics, neural engineering.
This is quite a range of areas including but not limited to human work (medicine/cancer research), vet research, and pharm research.
In charleston, my experience tells me that her options would be at the medical school/cancer institute or expanding out a bit and going toward applications in marine biology (Hollings).
I would think that there may be some work in Columbia, SC . Then one would look at Atlanta or Charlotte or the RTP
The closest hot spot IMO d be the RTP (research triangle) of Durham/Raleigh/Chapel Hill.
There are a few more oppurtunities in vet medicine and pharm research in the south, but I’m not to familiar with what’s hot or not in those fields .
Getting a highly specialized degree when you absolutely don’t want to relocate is often a fool’s errand. Less so if you already live in the northeast or California, but there’s still the possibility that the right opportunity for you will be on the *other *coast. Marketing yourself nationally or internationally after graduation is a big part of getting a job that really uses a specialized degree.
If she absolutely 100% wants to stay in Charleston, she needs to look at what bioengineering opportunities exist in Charleston. A local university’s library or career center could help her do that. If she does find some, she should put a laser focus on getting internships with them, doing projects that tie in to their work, etc.
I also would suggest that she do some more research about bioengineering careers and biotech industry careers and employers in general. What opportunities would she have in Boston, Northern CA, New Jersey and Pennsylvania (probably, lots of pharma)? This is an important industry that needs talented people, and offers good opportunities, but it is concentrated in certain areas. It’s kind of like wanting to work in entertainment.
Closer to home, she might also find opportunities in the RTP area of NC.
I’m not sure what she sees in the Whole Foods opportunity. My guess is that to advance to the level where she was really making a contribution in the field of nutrition, rather than just helping people pick out granola bars, she would probably have to move around within that company, too. Headquarters in Austin, TX.
If you want to advance in Whole Foods Market, you will have to move. I worked for a company that was acquired by WFMI when they were a lot smaller, and got to know John Mackey. He is a pretty hardcore (liberal) libertarian and if you want to stay in a safe cocoon, he has little use for you in the management of his company.
If you’re at the top of the “management potential” list, you get offered the next available spot, whether it is in Charleston or Anchorage.