Hello Aspirant,

Well, I'll put it straight and simple.

If your ultimate purpose after B. Sc. is to have a well-paying job, my answer would be a big NO. Biotech still require years to evolve in India.

If your aim is to pursue further studies and continue with a Master's or PhD, go ahead. But wait, even then a career in biotechnology requires immense patience and dedication. This is because there are very less funding options for research and development in India.

If academia is not your cup of tea and you wish to explore the industries, be ready to face stiff competition from pharma and microbiology students because pharmaceutical companies prefer candidates with pharma background and the same goes for jobs requiring microbiologists.

Also, our syllabus don't teach us what's going on in the scientific community, the inventions, the discoveries or the skills and techniques to work with the instruments. Rather our curriculum throws upon us the same theoretical stuff that's been going on since years.

By no means, this answer intends to discourage the aspiring researchers or people wanting to make it big in this amazing field of study. Biotechnology has huge scope in terms of its applications and has a strong hold in almost all of today's areas of development. However, the pace at which it is growing in India is quite slow in comparison to other career avenues and I just want to paint an honest picture so that you could decide for yourself accordingly.

If biotechnology is an area you're truely passionate about, go for it. More than just passing with fantastic grades and collecting degrees and certificates, focus on the larger aspect. Take up an internship during your vacations, acquire the necessary skills, learn to operate an instrument, stay updated with latest innovations and make sure to read at least 1 research paper from any good journal daily.

For those who have some interest in this field, want to start earning soon and do not have any specific aim in the field, you could try the following combinations that most often work best :

1. B. Sc. Biotech + MBA or PG diploma in sales/marketing

2. B. Sc. Biotech + Qualifying patent agent examination (IPR)

3. B. Sc. Biotech + AAPC certification (Medical Coding)

Finally, no career option is good or bad. Everything depends on what we expect out of it and make out of it. It is a career of future and if not today, it's surely going to get the place it deserves in India.

This may help.

Happy learning!