Encouraging Career Paths in the Lab Products Industry
Fostering connections between science and business in laboratory product careers
While recently attending a university career planning day, there was much talk about the bright employment prospects for graduates in the research fields of aerospace, electric vehicles, artificial intelligence (AI), and fintech. As a 33-year career professional in laboratory products, it became apparent that there is a need to represent the commercial opportunities in science.
The desire to raise awareness about our market has yielded the formation of a small committee within the Laboratory Products Association (LPA). The ambitious plan is to build student engagement by building a cohesive educational awareness program about the commercial science market and helping define career paths to achieve success.
When observing a laboratory, it’s apparent that a complex and interesting world is hard at work developing, testing, manufacturing, and ultimately commercializing thousands of products. Technology and demand rapidly change, and the suppliers must respond in real time. At the surface, this market appears vast and intimidating. An attempt to lower the perceived barriers to entry and generate interest among greater numbers of graduates is exactly what this new committee at the LPA is undertaking.
In a series of well-developed panel discussion videos, the LPA has initiated outreach through candid discussions with industry experts who describe their entry and current role in this market. The video series is only the first step in what is planned to be a larger platform of career awareness, taking the form of channels to internships, mentorship, and deep educational content designed to intrigue graduates considering their career options.
Our market offers a compelling list of benefits: above average starting salaries, exceptional growth opportunities, longevity, exposure to cutting-edge technologies, and an inclusive and diverse culture, just to name a few. With this said one would ask, “why is such an initiative necessary now?” The answer to that question lies more in how today’s talent perceives the market. Today’s STEM graduates are inundated with both fictitious and true stories of young people making billions of dollars in markets that command the media’s attention.
We are waist-deep in the second space race, revolutionizing transportation, reinventing energy, furthering computing, and disrupting the financial markets with AI. We cannot deny the scale and success of some of the iconic startups, so why would someone work in a mature and arguably less glamorous field like laboratory instruments, chemicals, or consumables? The answer is in the above description of our market, with one important point—now more than ever our market can best utilize a combination of generalized science and business. By leveraging simple planning, a student can amass a knowledge base of real value to the employers in our market.
Many colleges and universities are addressing the growing demand for dual major students by offering business science degrees. Others are offering major/minor combinations conducive to success in our market. So, you may be asking, “how can I help?” the answer may be in collaborating with your organization’s HR department and talent onboarding programs. Look for a student shadow or mentorship program and if it doesn’t already exist, it can be easy to start and is quite fulfilling. If you know a student who may be inclined, please point out the LPA video series, which can be found on YouTube or contact the LPA for more information about the new program.