Agricultural Careers

Geneticist

By: Dr. Frank Flanders and Trisha Rae Stephens

Georgia Agricultural Education Curriculum Office

Georgia Department of Education

June 2005

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Job Duties & Responsibilities

• Conduct experiments and record and analyze the data received. • Keep detailed notes and write reports related to their studies.

• In a supervisory position, they would be in charge of managing assistants. • Those that enter a teaching career would give class lectures and speak at

conferences, as well as conduct research experiments.

Qualities and Skills

• Good eyesight and manual dexterity are needed. • Ability to spend significant time working in a laboratory • Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing.• May require long periods of sitting or standing.• Ability to use computers for lengthy amounts of time

Salary

Salaries in this field vary widely, depending on where a geneticist works and the level of degree they possess. For example, geneticists working at a university as a professor would have a typical academic salary. Assistant professors make average salaries in the $50,000 to $75,000 range while associate professors make average salaries in $60,000 to $90,000 range. Experienced geneticists working in industry, at biotechnology firms and pharmaceutical companies, often have salaries much higher than this, in the $100,000 to $150,000 range.

Work Environment

• Most work is done indoors in laboratory settings, but at times work in offices, classrooms or in the field is also required.

• The typical work week is at least 40 hours per week, however project or research deadlines may at times require them to work extended hours.

Becoming a Geneticist

• To prepare for a career as a Geneticist, students should take college-preparatory classes in high school with as many science courses as possible.

• Biology, chemistry, physics, botany and zoology are especially important. • Good communications skills are achieved with English, writing, and speech

courses. Agricultural education classes offer courses in plant and animal science that will help prepare an individual for a career as a geneticist.

Career Resources

Biotechnology Industry Organization1625 K Street, N.W., Suite 1100Washington, D.C. 20006Internet: http://www.bio.org

Crop Science Society of America677 South Segoe RoadMadison, WI 53711Internet: http://www.crops.org

Genetics Society of America9650 Rockville PikeBethesda, MD 20814-3998Internet: http://www.genetics-gsa.org

American Society of Human Genetics9650 Rockville PikeBethesda, MD 20814Internet: http://www.ashg.org

*Select "Educational Resources," then "Training Programs Guide."

Council for Biotechnology InformationP.O. Box 34380Washington, DC 20043–0380Internet: http://www.whybiotech.com