[AKA_Monet]

I have a MS and a Ph.D. in molecular genetics.

My entire 20's was "donated" to graduate school education.

Interestingly, when I look back on it, I probably should have applied to many more schools and taken the MCAT to get into medical school.

Why? Because NIH (all divisions) is giving more grants to MD's than Ph.D. in the biological sciences that studies human diseases. Folks are not interesting in curing, they are interested in profiting off the symptoms of an illness. And most MD's--as noble as their education is--hands are tied to even think of a preventative/curative treatment option... Most of it is "on the battlefield" triage system... And probably a lot of this may have to do with "Big Pharma" and the "biotechs"--easier to make a drug than find a cure.

(off my soapbox)

So, what to do when you grow up and have to find a real job in my field?

Well, either way, at the current school I work at, they are nailing the poor residents and post-residents to the cross. Barely allowing them to branch out on their own--that much. So they are influxing into my field they know little about but can develop skill sets relatively quickly. Then they hate us, the Ph.D.'s--saying our degrees are worthless--like, anyone can get one. Forgetting the fact that a basic notion was wrought forth a whole series on biological understanding by many of combined forces with MD-PhD collaboration...

ONLY one school combined the efforts of post-graduate degreed people. And I was fortunate to work there for 1 year. And the school was a powerhouse, with 5 nobel laureates in medicine or physiology, etc. and several National Academies members. No one person's perspective was disrespected...

It would be nice to get folks to that level at my current location. But I might have to go back to grad school Hell to gain appropriate qualifications. I dayum sho am not taking anymore exams, etc. So, it won't be MD or DDS. But, I can get certificates in other programs...

I am considering "Translational Research"... What do you all think?