Pharmaceutical Lab Technician

Finding the next great medicine is hard and time-consuming work. The Scientists and Pharmaceutical Researchers in charge do tests galore, first with various chemicals and cells, and then later with people or mice. A Pharmaceutical Lab Technician works in the lab, helping out the people searching for the next miracle drug, and doing the grunt work that goes into finding the perfect cure.

Though the term “grunt work” might turn you off, know that the job of a Pharmaceutical Lab Technician is not to be sneezed at. It requires at least a two-year degree, and that’s because there’s a lot of science involved in it. Though there’s some basic work, like filling out forms and recording results, chemistry is a big part of a Pharmaceutical Lab Technician’s job. So if you don’t like the periodic table or mixing elements, you should consider a different career.

Though most people hear only about the finished product, it can take years of unexciting work to create a new drug. You help out with this part, doing things like taking samples, making slides, and setting up experiments. You weigh samples, run tests, and (most importantly) gather results, recording them in the correct format.

You’re not the one who designs the experiment, but you still spend your days doing science, which is pretty cool. Most people use this job as a stepping stone, gaining experience and making connections that will let them move up the ladder in either the same lab or another.