Job Responsibilities
Majority of my role as Senior Microbiologist is concentrated on
doing laboratory work - microbial screening, preservative
testing, and technical research which I normally do fifty
percentof the time each day. The next 25 % would be dedicated to
documentation - release of reports, creation of SOPs, and
creation of purchase requisitions. The last 25 % would be for
communications with internal and external partners in realtion to
my function as a Microbiologist - this area would include
attending meetings, responding to e-mails, responsding to
suppliers and other miscellaneous activities. There are times
that one, two or even all areas of my work schedule would require
additional time which neccesistates me to do adjustments to
prioritize the most important work for the day. I sometimes
extend my work just to accomplish everything.
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Job Requirements
To be able to function as Microbiologist, you would need a degree
in Biology major in Microbiology or BS in Biology here in the
Philippines. But there are cases where other science course
graduates are trained and functions as a Microbiologist for some
companies. Leaving a non-Microbiologist to do a Microbiologists'
job would limit the person to the testing per se neglecting the
most imporatnt aspect of Microbiology - the interpretation of
results. Results can be unpredictable since you are dealing with
live organisms and to be able to understand the behaviour of
these organisms you would need an in-depth knowledge of
Microbiology. This would be definitely true specially if your
work would involve research works and not just routine testing.
A Microbiology program here in the Philippines would involve
course works in all areas of the life sciences. And a would have
to remind you that we have a share (lots of share) in physical
sciences like - Chemistry (we have lots of that), Physics, and
Math. We also have a share on the arts and English Communication
The exciting aspect of the program would be the laboratory part,
where evryone would have a hands-on experience of doing the
actual testing (meaning handling of live organisms) and doing
reports for each activity. There are outdoor activities involve
in the program which would expose a student to the diversity of
life on earth.
There are lots of Universities here that offers the program but I
believe the best would be the University of the Philippines at
Los Banos which host almost all the resaerach facilities in the
life sciences and where all equipment and personnel in life
science research would be available.
Professors in the program would range from the old to the young,
from the insane to the sane, from the weird to the normals. What
I mean to say is that there is no special trait that a person
should have to teach in this field. All he need is a thorough
knowledge and experience on the subject and your off.
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Uppers
The best part of my job is the beneficial results you may get from working with
the smallest life on earth. There are many chemicals and compounds that are used
in the industry and medicine that are products of microbiological research. As
long as there are people on earth, microbiology would be an essential science.
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Downers
If you will not be careful and you don't havea proper trainingin
Microbiology, you or someone you love can get sick or even be a
cause of your death. So there is some danger in our work.
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Lifestyle
If you are a Microbiologist you must be prepared to do overtime even if it is
against your will because there are test which would entail longer working hours.
Depending on the nature of your work as a Microbiologist, if you are confined to
the lab, you will always be inside the lab. But if you are assigned to do
monitoring then you will always be out.
As a Laboratory Microbiologist, dress as casual since you would have a lab gown
over your clothes. So wathever you wear won't matter.
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Compensation
Depending on the position, I would say that Microbiologists are
well compensated in the Industry than in the Academe or Research.
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Advice to Jobseekers
To be able to enjoy Microbiology, you must learn everything by
heart.
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