Essay --

Where to begin? The job market can often be confusing, especially to those who are making a career change. The biotechnology field is no exception. When thinking about any sub-field within a field, it is useful to consider several key points. What are the requirements of the job? For example, what qualifications, education, work experience, and background are usually desired? What does a normal day look like? What will the interaction with other people look like? What is a typical pay scale? Will travel be required? Is there room for growth? To consider these questions, the following uses the job of Quality Control Analyst. Quality Control can be considered a field all of its own. Most companies that produce a product of any kind will have quality control. This field is particularly important to the biotechnology field. The function is to ensure that products are consistent and procedures comply with federal regulation (Freedman 157). While there are sections that deal specifically in regulatory compliance, quality control itself is usually found in lab settings. Regulatory compliance usually falls under the category of Quality Assurance (Freedman 160). For those who work in Quality Control, the day is mostly spent in laboratory settings. The type of lab will more narrowly define the type of work that will be done. Generally, the analyst will test and analyze samples and send the paperwork to be reviewed (Freedman 162). However, not all quality control is product or sample based. Some of the work might be more systemic, involving validating the entire system. In some cases, means reviewing protocols or SOPs (Freedman 163). No matter what the exact niche of Quality Control, the need for very good documentation is paramount. If it... ... know on the current and emerging technologies. It will be encouraged by the employer to sharpen education and skills (Freedman 166). In conclusion, a person looking for a job as a Quality Control Analyst can find employment just about anywhere. Any company that produces a tangible product will have quality control. The job can be found all over this country and around the world. The salary is pretty good. Most companies with quality control offer competitive benefits (like insurance, retirement, continuing education, etc.) The job requires a college education but not necessarily a PhD. The job is intellectually stimulating, but can be repetitive. It most definitely requires a keen eye for detail and obsessive care for documentation. A person needn’t travel unless he or she is doing auditing. It does require a person to interact with co-workers but not the public.