Hi everyone! I'm currently a rising undergraduate senior majoring in Biology. I used to be on the premed track but after careful consideration, I realized I don't see myself as a doctor. At least in terms of day-to-day practice in hospitals and clinics. I know it's not all the same, but there's no guarantee you'll match into your desired specialty. If I really needed to, I would do okay but I am not sure at what cost considering medical school, residency, lifestyle, etc.
In researching different fields, I landed on clinical development and felt like it bridged aspects of medicine, data analysis, and scientific research that I enjoy. It's an oversimplification, but I understand that clinical scientists design and oversee clinical trials, and collaborate with teams across different disciplines.
What would be a career pipeline to clinical scientist?
Entry level appears to be CTA or CRC, then CRA, then some sort of CRM or PM (maybe getting an advanced degree during this time), and I'm not so sure what comes after that? Some people have said that starting with CRC can make breaking into industry harder? A bit confused here. I understand that working in clinical research isn't linear and luck and networking helps a ton.
I currently do wet-lab research with data analysis involved, but I'm wondering how I should prepare during my senior year for a hopeful future in clinical dev. Co-ops and internships with CROs are options I've heard, as well as potentially finding jobs that involve data collection and clinical research. Between the two, is there one that is preferred?
Would it be worth going into this field given the intense conversation around job layoffs and perhaps difficulty in upward mobility? There's conversations about leaving clinical dev/ops and pivoting for better compensation/job security, but I don't have an idea what those fields would be.
Thanks for helping out a confused student. Much appreciated!