I think one of reasons why I had trouble searching and deciding on a career is because I didn’t know of the possible careers for my TAFE diploma and UOW degree. BIOL342 introduced me to a UOW resource that helped me explore the career possibilities for my degree. This led me to search for career possibilities for my certificate and diploma from TAFE. These resources helped narrow down my search.
The UOW resource called ‘What can I do with my degree’ provided a list of careers chosen by UOW graduates that completed Bachelor of Science (Cell and molecular biology). The list included research assistant, lab assistant, lab technical officer, medical technician, and technical officer1 (Figure 1).
A TAFE resource has shown me that graduates of Certificate IV in Laboratory Techniques take on roles such as laboratory assistant in water quality, food testing or polymer testing and school laboratory technician2 (Figure 2). TAFE graduates of Diploma of Laboratory Technology (Pathology) take on roles such as technical officer pathology, biotechnology technical officer and medical laboratory technician3 (Figure 3).
These career options have led me to consider a career as a medical laboratory technician, where you perform routine laboratory tests and operate diagnostic laboratory equipment under the supervision of Medical Laboratory Scientists and Pathologists.
Figure 1: Related occupations for Bachelor of Science (Cell and molecular biology).
Figure 2: Career pathways for Certificate IV in Laboratory Techniques.
Figure 3: Career pathways for Diploma of Laboratory Technology (Pathology).
References
- Careers Central 2023, What can I do with my degree?, University of Wollongong, viewed 20 October 2023, <https://www.uow.edu.au/student/careers/what-can-i-do-with-my-degree/environmental–biological-sciences/> ↩︎
- TAFE NSW 2023, Certificate IV in Laboratory Techniques, TAFE NSW, viewed 20 October 2023, <https://www.tafensw.edu.au/course-areas/laboratory-science/courses/certificate-iv-in-laboratory-techniques–MSL40118-01> ↩︎
- TAFE NSW 2023, Diploma of Laboratory Technology (Pathology), TAFE NSW, viewed 20 October 2023, <https://www.tafensw.edu.au/course-areas/laboratory-science/courses/diploma-of-laboratory-technology-pathology–MSL50118-06> ↩︎
BIOL342 ePortfolio 