Dave Holden (dholden@picosof.com) wrote:
: Dear fellow nanotechnologists:
: I am soliciting advice on graduate school. I am considering going to grad
: school to get into Nanotechnology as applied to Molecular Biology. I have
: Electrical Engineering and Computer Science degrees from the University of
: Michigan. However, I've been out of school for 9 years. I have a notion
: of getting into a Materials Science program. I could combine STM/AFM work
: with an emphasis on Biological Instrumentation and perhaps Computational or
: Synthetic Chemistry. Ideally I would like to design nano-machines that
: perform intracellular operations.
: I could get directly into grad school in Materials. If I went back
: strictly into molecular biology I would have to get an undergrad degree
: first.
Would you have to get an undergrad degree first or is there some program that will let you take some "remedial courses" in your first year of molecular biology grad school? If not, I would suggest the Materials route you suggested and trying to do what you want in nano by some backdoor means. Once you attain the PhD noone will care much what it is in as long as you can do the job you want to do. Perhaps you should look into a couple of programs here at Rice. Rice is very much into the interdisciplinary thing.
: I don't want to do random consumer electronics work the rest of my life
: when there's so much IMPORTANT BioTech/NanoTech work to be done. If I get
: directly into nanotechnology I can see myself working until I die(frozen).
: If I stay in consumer electronics I will probably want to retire fairly
: early. On the other hand, I don't want to spend my life in relative
: poverty for the nanotechnology "cause".
: Questions:
: 1) What are the employment opportunities for a PhD with a degree like this?
I don't know. I am not a nanotechnologist.
: I could enjoy doing STM type applications/research even if it wasn't
: biology oriented. As long as I was working towards general Nanotechnology
: I would be satisfied. But, I hear horror stories of underemployed
: materials and chemistry and biology people. I know several chemists and
: biologist who think computer programming is a great "trade". I sure would
: feel stupid 10 years from now trudging back to random device driver
: programming under Windows 2000.
It sounds as though you are trying to plan your whole life. Someone once said that "a planned life is a boring life". Not only that, but I believe it is impossible to plan a whole life, especially in research. If a MatSci PhD is what you want then do it. Get as many basic skills as you can while you are doing it, because the world will change. If you are determined and recognize opportunity or can make your own opportunity then it will work out. Besides, if you wait until you are sure at 50 years old, you may not feel like graduate school then.
: 2) What are my chances of getting into a decent school at age 33?
Getting into a totally different field without starting as an undergraduate would be tough but not impossible for someone determined. As you said the MatSci route may be a good one since few UG "remedial" courses would have to be taken before beginning your research.
I started back at graduate school at 33. Sure it was in the same broad degree field as my BS and MS, but my research specialty isn't the same as what I was doing in industry nor is it the same stuff I was doing for my MS 9 years ago. You will need these things 1. good, though old grades 2. a recent good GRE score to show you still have aptitude and 3. Determination
Let me say something about no. 3. For you to succeed at this, you must want it very very bad (at least once you have made the decision to return to grad school) People in your own department will seemingly try to stop you. Your grades the first semester will stink. Professors will doubt you (although hopefully someone like your advisor will have confidence in you). Your family, if you have one, will support you but hint from time to time about the lack of money. You will lose some friends, but you will gain others. Through all this you must perservere anyway. Good luck and let me know how it goes.
Chad, who can almost see the light at the end of the tunnel.
: Thanks for any input,
: Dave Holden
: --
: "Reality is a sandwich I did not order", Zippy the Pinhead.