I've been a software engineer for 8 years and have become more and more interested in biology and medicine over the past years. I'm considering trying to move into the field of bioinformatics. I would love to hear from people who have done this, or maybe gone the other way as to how to do this..
One big obstacle I see is the requirement for Masters or PhDs in the field. I don't have either of those and don't have the grades or research experience to get into grad school. It could be done maybe but it would be a very uphill battle. The value of the degree seems dubious as well because I hear people much prefer PhDs to M.S students anyways.
On the other hand, I do see its a very deep field. Right now I'm doing a Bioinformatics course on Coursera & learning physiology & statistics but it would take years to really build up a background. There are some biotech startups that just need traditional software roles that I'm trying for - that seems like the best option for now.
Is there anyone who has successfully transitioned? For now I'm conflicted on whether this is even doable or if its just a pipe dream..
I’ve worked in Biomedical Informatics for the past 12 years, but as a software engineer. My original experience was not even close to this field.
You can certainly pursue a degree—yes, likely PhD. Or you can use your SWE background to enter the field. There is a learning curve to understand the domain, but that’s what we do as software types.