Not all professions are same, and not all demand the same things from the aspirants. A career in Bioinformatics can be interesting if one loves to investigate and solves problems. The best part it is quite technical quite biological and rest researching, hence you are allowed to use your initiative to answer the problems. After getting specialized in any field, you’ll turn out to be the smartest person in that area and people will approach you for their problems.

BIOINFORMATICS JOB DESCRIPTION

Bioinformatics or often termed as Computational biology can be explained as the use of Information Technology for the issues of molecular biology. In addition, the systematic management and analysis of biological data are done through the means of computers and their technology. They tend to help in gathering, storing, analyzing and merging the various biological data collected.

Bioinformatics is an emerging interdisciplinary research area and is dedicated to improving the quality of life.

In order to advance the biomedical development, the bioinformatics plays a vital role. It profound impacts on various fields such as agriculture, environment, biotechnology, etc.
It won’t be wrong to say that bioinformatics is dedicated to uncovering the hidden wealth of biological information.

Educational Requirements

In order to become a skilled bioinformatics specialist, one must acquire an extensive formal education. According to the Bureau of Labour Statistics (BLS), the first step towards this profession is taking the undergraduate major in biology or other bioinformatics degree programs. One must opt to take computer science in addition to these courses, that combine life sciences and mathematics as well.

Usually, more than one master’s degrees are required to attain the target. Several universities are out there which offer Ph.D. in Bioinformatics or Computational biology and also Master o Science degrees. To fulfill the criteria of a would-be specialist in biotechnology, one has to take these master degrees to enhance their knowledge and skills. For initial level degrees, one can also opt for computer science or engineering. The time duration of completing these programs depends on the choices made and hence varies from two to five years.

TOP COLLEGES FOR BIOINFORMATICS

1. Bharathiar University, School of Life Sciences, Dept of Bioinformatics, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu
2. Dnyanasadhana Asian Institute of Core Competence (DAICC), Thane, Maharastra
3. Himalayan University, Faculty of Science, Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh
4. Dibrugarh University, Center for Bioinformatics Studies, Dibrugarh, Assam
5. St. Wilfred’s PG College, School of Science, Ajmer, Rajasthan
6. Guru Nanak Institute of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology (GNIPST), Kolkata, West Bengal
7. Guru Nanak Girls college, Ludhiana, Punjab
8. GGDSD College, Chandigarh
9. Dr. Ghosh Institute of technology and Management, New Delhi
10. Stella Maris College, Chennai, Tamil Nadu

Salary Structure

In the battle of the career in bioinformatics, the two major options play decides all the other factors. And they are Industry & Academia. Bioinformatics salary has always been the hyped part as it is really challenging to multiply your earnings in this field. Unless you are really doing something extraordinary in the commercial area or a senior professor, it is going to be tough to earn six figures at once. Usually, the salaries are remaining similar to the other scientists at your level in academia.

SKILLS REQUIRED

1. Interest in Science and Technology
2. Communication Skills
3. Team Work & Leadership Skills
4. Comfort Level with Technology and Equipment
5. Work Management Skills Under Pressure

CAREER AND EMPLOYMENT PROSPECTS

With the introduction of Information technology in the field of molecular biology, the tremendous growth has been observed in the career of bioinformatics. The opportunities of jobs in bioinformatics are everywhere. All the sectors such as biotechnology, biomedical sciences, hospitals, research organizations and industry are flooded with the availability of jobs.

Some of the top employment areas that fall withing the category of bioinformatics are as follows:

• Sequence Assembly & Sequence analysis
• Database design and maintenance
• Pharmacology
• Pharmacogenomics
• Clinical Pharmacologists
• Proteomics
• Computation chemists
• Analytics

A Genuine Discussion

So, these were statistics about the career in bioinformatics, However these can be taken as a subjective analysis of the same. All one must bear in mind is that you should be realistic towards your expectations. To sum up, if you like computers, biology and would be satisfied in solving issues of others, then bioinformatics is worth a go for you.