Majored in Biology, Need Help with Career Change into Healthcare Equity Research
I was originally intent on going onto medical school, as I'm currently in the middle of the application cycle this year. But I should probably start with some of my educational history. I completed an underwhelming neurobiology degree at Boston University back in 2011 with a 3.1 GPA. This wasn't as competitive as I needed to be for medical school, so I also finished a Masters degree at Boston University in medical sciences in 2013 with a 4.0 GPA, complemented by a 39 MCAT. I had it in my mind that I could delay the gratification of maintaining a happy and successful life 10 years down the road after I finished all the training and education required to become a physician. Well, that was all before my brother passed away earlier this year. His passing made me realize that there were more immediate things that I needed to focus on that I was neglecting because of my dedication to pursuing a career in medicine.
Anyways, I have some pretty decent research experience, as well as some time spent at a biotech company doing lab and sales work. The sales work entailed researching other biotech companies, medical schools, and private research groups that could possibly use our service.
I've been doing some reading on the site and have found an interest in equity research, and was hoping for any advice on how to best jump into it.
Thanks for any input!
I have no specific advise on getting into ER, but i will say that you have a unique background which can be a blessing and a curse. There is no perfectly logical next step for you, so you'll have to find somewhere that is a little flexible. However, you may be able to add a lot of value in the right roles.
Are you set on ER? There are a lot of things you could be doing in Pharma/BioTech that may be interesting as well. I could see you fitting in at startups all the way through F500 giants. If you want ER that's great, but your post made it feel like you may just be defaulting there.
Thank you for the quick reply!
It's not set in stone that I want to dive straight into ER, but it was something that I discussed with a few mentors, my father, and a few friends who are actually investment bankers. They all felt it was something that I could transition to, and something that I want to do.
Of course, at this stage, I'd be more than happy to hear any other suggestions that seem to make sense from people who are more experience, or that have experiences with a defined transition like the one I want to undergo. As it is now, I want to find what the best first step should be.
Hi @Willithurt-Jin ! I am in a similar situation like yourself trying to transition into Investment Banking or Equity Research with a undergraduate degree in Biology... How is it going for you? Any advice?
I would take CFA L1 in December and start reaching out to healthcare analysts at different banks.
You can find the names and sometimes emails/phone numbers of covering analysts on company investor relations websites (for example Gentiva Health Services http://investors.gentiva.com/analysts.cfm) or sometimes banks will have lists of their research analysts by sector (i.e. http://www.jmpg.com/jmpsecurities/research/research-biographies/ http://www.piperjaffray.com/2col.aspx?id=122). It's pretty easy to figure out what the email structures are at most firms. I think there are a few WSO posts that can help with that.
I know this isn't what you were asking about in your post, but Genentech is an excellent biotech company to work for in the sales arena. A close friend has done very well there, roughly 140k + benefits. Not that I am suggesting to not pursue ER or finance, but its well worth a look or two.
Sorry to hear about your brother, we are all just a phone call away from our knees. My condolences.
I have a good friend who was in a nearly identical position to you, med school plans and even BU included, the only difference being that his father and not his brother passed away and it made him rethink his life. My true condolences on your brother- losing a family member is an absolutely horrible experience. Side note: find a professional to talk to about it and I don't mean to sound preachy.
He ended up finding a research job in the healthcare field at a smaller shop through some hard core networking, did it for a couple of years and a hedge fund client that he handled brought him on board. In my mind you actually have a leg up simply because of the science background, especially if your MS was in a science. In my career I've always been open to nearly any industry but healthcare (biotech, pharma, etc) is just something I have no interest in because it takes a science background and education. Working in research at a BB might be difficult but there are plenty of places below them that will be options.
I'm studying Biology and Business at the University of Pennsylvania (undergrad dual-degree) and would love to stay posted on this forum. I'm clearly way too inexperienced to give any good advice, but I will say that I know a bunch of M.D.s, Ph.D's, and others with science background who go into business (I'm interning at a pharmaceutical company this summer, and am working with a bunch of these types of people!). What seems to be a common theme is individual strengthening of business acumen (learning key concepts and such) and, honestly, having some connections. However, even without connections, I'm sure you'll appear as an attractive candidate with a science background and some finance knowledge.
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