My skills gained in my Biochemistry PhD appear not to be wanted in any post doc or industry jobs, so how do i transition into a job in another field if they require specific skills in that particular field to get the job?
Hi, so i have somewhat recently completed my PhD in Biochemistry investigating membrane proteins using purified protein expressed in bacteria, performing biochemical and biophysical assays to characterise their function and structure. While looking for both academic and industry jobs, i am struggling to find any that i have any of the basic essential skills they require on the job description. Most work is in eukaryotes which i have no experience in, and requires other skills that i do not have. I find the biochemical/biophysical techniques i have utilised throughout my PhD and Mres are very rarely mentioned if at all. Obviously i am very up for learning new skills, but it appears a lot of jobs require very specific requirements and it kinda feels like if you did a PhD in an area that is now not as desirable, your kinda just stuck. I can apply for some jobs but i feel it is almost guaranteed i would not get it, and also as i don't really know the subject areas or techniques, i would struggle to justify my hiring.
Additional: Thankyou for all the messages, i appreciate the help but must admit it is filling me with existential dread reading these messages, as someone who went back into education after leaving school at 16 and then going back in a 21 to try and build a better life, it is very depressing. I am now 34