After your BSc...

After obtaining your BSc degree you can start looking for a job or choose to continue to study and pursue an MSc. Judith van Kempen chose the latter option, and is currently doing a Master in Biomedical Sciences. Dennis Lamers chose the first option, and after his Bachelors he took a job as a Research Analyst. In this article they explain why they made their choices.

Starting a career at BSc level

After completing his BSc in Biochemistry, Dennis chose to start working at the Hogeschool Arnhem en Nijmegen (HAN), in 2001. “Initially I applied for a PhD, but the professor eventually did not want to hire a BSc for that position. When that failed to materialise an opportunity arose to work at the department of Cell Physiology at Radboud University, as a Research Analyst. I didn’t like that job very much because I missed a certain degree of freedom. So when the chance came to work for the Experimental Cardiology department of the UMC Utrecht I took the job immediately.” Lamers got what he desired in this job. He had many responsibilities, and much freedom, but the travel distance was over an hour each way, so he again decided to look for another job.

Since 2006 Dennis works at the HAN BioCentre. “This organisation within the Hogeschool Arnhem Nijmegen conducts research for SME companies who do not have their own research facilities. The work can be performed by employees of the BioCentre or by students. This last option is cheaper, but it takes longer to obtain the results. My tasks are to perform the research when the company wants its own employees to do it, and to give guidance to the students when the company decides that it wants to involve them.”

Dennis wanted a job that was more than just operational, and which would give him more responsibilities. At the HAN they were looking for just that mentality. “I like my job very much. Every day is different, and I like to work with students. I’m often surprised by the different characters of students. Sometimes I think a particular student won’t work hard or is not enthusiastic about a project, but then he turns out to be the hardest worker of the group. This job is more intense then my previous ones, because a large part of it involves planning and managing students.”

MSc needed

“I really want to work in research. During my internship at the Australian National University I was told that my opportunities in research would increase if I had a Masters degree. You can get better projects and you can work all over the world,” explains Judith, when she was asked why she decided to continue to study. Judith studied Biochemistry at the HAN. In 2004 she followed an internship in Australia doing research on plant genes. “I like to work abroad because you meet so many different people, especially the international contacts who are very interesting.”

After finishing her bachelors she started work for a few months at the HAN. “I finished in January, so I had a few months before my next study started. I taught students and I did research for the HAN BioCentre. I enjoyed it, but I felt that I was not yet ready for a job. Many of my fellow students, about 50% of them, decided to continue studying. Their reasons differed: some wanted to start a career in research, like me, others wanted to become a teacher, or were just not ready to get into a company and start working.” 

From college to university

In 2006 Judith began studying Biomedical Sciences at the Radboud University. The first year she followed a pre-Master course to smooth over the change from Higher Vocational Study to university, and after this year she can complete her Master’s degree in two years. “I find this course less difficult than my first one. During my first study we sometimes had seven courses all on at the same time, and the finals were extremely busy times. Now, I follow just one course at a time. You really get into the material, and by the time we have an exam I already know the subject thoroughly.” Judith finds it more difficult to get things done at the university: “I came from a small college, but here everything is larger. The teachers are difficult to reach because they all do research for the university in addition to their teaching.”

Learn what you want

Dennis gradually found out what he appreciated in his job. ”My former employer in Utrecht thought that I made a big mistake by turning my back on academic life. He told me not to lose sight of what I wanted, and that it was more common to get caught up in your work in the company for the rest of your life. But I like my current position very much. With every job you learn more about your own interests and capabilities. I started thinking: Do I want this or do I want more? This is not something I knew in advance. I didn’t know that I liked working with students, but every time I wanted more responsibilities and different tasks, and finally it led me to where I am now. I think everyone has to go through this kind of process of maturity. You have to find out what you want. In that sense nobody is ever done with learning.”

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