From Biology (Bsc) To Web Development (msc)?

[kwon87]

Hello all,

I hope you can advice me on my situation.

Since graduating with a degree in biology, it has become crystal clear that the current recession isn't kind to people like myself with little to no experience. I also became dissilioned, since the job description of entry level biology jobs are often mundane and bureaucratic. Because of this, I thought hard about my passions and skillset, and realised that I would be better suited and more motivated towards a building career in web development. I have always been technically minded, and naturally, I have acquainted myself with web developing languages, creating websites along the way. Unfortunately however, due to the current recession, its nearly impossible to get my foot in the door of the web industry. So, I have decided to undergo a masters degree in web development (2010 entry), or at least a msc with a substantial web element.
To fund this, I am deciding to work full time for a role which is neither biology nor I.T. It is a very simple, yet stimulating job, namely; patient concierge/assistant. This requires very little theory, and more of basic communication.

I have several pertinent questions:

1) Is a masters in the right step towards gaining career credentials with regard to web development?
2) Would my current job selection reflect poorly of me in my c.v, when I could be showing a more consistent career trail towards web development? For example, should I rather be seeking a job in communications to work in for the next 8 months until the masters entry?
3) Is my dilemma to find biological jobs partly down to the recession, or rather a lack of relevant industrial experience?

[Makawak]

Hey Kwon,

I'll try to answer these the best I can for you.

1) This depends where you're trying to do web design. All that piece of paper is saying is that you have studied hard and know the theory behind things. So you lack good hands on work, which is a key thing in any job. If you're looking to get a job with the government you should be good to go, however other private sector companies will want much more then that paper and will want examples of your work.

I look at it this way. I do work as a web developer for the government, and am already in the process of achieving my Masters in Computer Science. They love the fact that I have that piece of paper and don't care about my work else where. I make about $70, 000/year currently and will make a max of $79, 000/year when I hit my peak in a couple of years.

I also do freelance work on the side, generally just to help people out to improve my knowledge. However I also help out a friend with some of his projects when he needs them. He has a bachelors degree in some random field, but I do know his portfolio is through the roof. This guy easy clears $400, 000/year. Some of his sites include, Consumer Search, Universal Music, and I believe he recently signed a million dollar deal with about.com.


So yes education helps but you will also want to have real world examples and experience.


2) You should be working in whatever job you can get. As long as your c.v. shows commitment and hard work you should be ok for the short time, however it wouldn't hurt to try and start to do some freelance work to build up a portfolio.

3) It could be due to the recession, and it could be due to lack of experience. It could also be that you're not looking in the right place, or your setting your expectations too high for your first job. It could be a number of reasons, however I can tell you this. The recession has impacted many areas of work, web development and computer science in general as one. Tech industry jobs have been on a decrease for a while now.

I think the biggest thing you need to do is sit down and evaluate why you're really switching. Are you switching because it truly is your passion or are you switching because you think you will have a better chance getting a job? You need to figure out what you truly want to do when you start the 9-5 job, because it should be something you enjoy doing, that way its not really work at all.


Good luck :)