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Re:Ten Simple Rules for Starting a Company [PLoS Computation... by timr on Friday March 30, 2012 @01:02PM (#3776930)
It's pretty hard to give good advice without knowing if you want to go into industry or academia. The job market for computational biologists in industry is tight and problem-specific, and you'll generally need some research experience before you can land a gig -- there's not much computational biology going on that isn't considered "research" (even in industry).

That said, I'd recommend you start off by looking for a programmer gig in a good research lab. It's not as difficult to get one of these jobs because good CS students usually go into other fields, and academic labs are more willing to train. Spend a few years there learning the process of research, and you'll be much better qualified for an industry job. You'll also have a better idea if you really want to pursue computational biology as a career.

Other posts in this thread recommend applying for engineering jobs at biomedical startups (23andMe, Counsyl, etc.) That could be a decent option, but remember: if you're working on the website (or the robots, or...), you're not learning how to do computational biology. So it may not be the best long-term choice if you're interested in the science. Make sure that the position fits your long-term goals.

Finally, the general rule in computational biology is that "biology" is the most important word. From the perspective of a biology researcher, programmers are a commodity -- an expensive commodity, but still generic and interchangeable -- but biologists who know computer science are rare. The only way to ensure long-term success in this field is to be the latter. So regardless of what kind of job you pursue, make sure that you're spending at least as much time learning the problem domain as you are learning about computers. You really do need to become a domain expert. Being a computer scientist isn't enough.

Re:Ten Simple Rules for Starting a Company [PLoS Computation... by ahelwer on Friday March 30, 2012 @01:15PM (#3777006)
I would definitely want to go into industry. This is not to say I am averse to getting a masters degree, but I am having great fun in my internship in the private sector.

I believe I'll have one more summer left in my degree, so that's 4 months open for an internship. Do you suppose it would be possible to get a meaningful feel for the field in practice by finding an internship at a lab or company somewhere?

Re:Ten Simple Rules for Starting a Company [PLoS Computation... by timr on Friday March 30, 2012 @01:31PM (#3777103)
It's not much time, but it's better than nothing. You'll get a taste for the field, but that's about it. Start looking now.

If you have another school year before graduation, you should also seriously consider doing some work in a campus biology lab. If you're at a larger school, there will be at least one lab that does computational biology work, and if not...well, it's important to know something about biology. A winter spent in a lab will be a learning experience, either way.

And if you're having trouble getting your foot in the door, here's an easy way to get a gig in a campus lab: work for free. Tell them that you're a CS student interested in computational biology, and that you'll be free, eager labor if they'll let you learn about biology research. It's a time-honored tradition -- nearly everyone in the field gets their start this way.