Learn About Careers in Life Sciences
A career in the life sciences can include a broad range of companies, organizations, and foundations concerned with the study of living organisms, including biological sciences, botany, zoology, microbiology, physiology, biochemistry, and a number of related subjects. Employers may include biotechnology & pharmaceutical companies, academic institutions, healthcare organizations, foundations, and federal agencies. Most of the information on this page concerns non-patient facing options but there are opportunities to create career paths that merge patient and non-patient settings.
Wellesley Career Education Summer Internship Grants (Stipends for Student-Identified Placements)
Through the ongoing and generous support of our donors, the College is able to offer funding to support unpaid internships which students identify on their own. Many award recipients pursue internships in nonprofit organizations focused on education and other community development areas, but funding is available for opportunities in other sectors both within the United States and internationally, as well. In addition to the stipends, Wellesley Career Education staff provide ongoing professional development and career education training throughout their summer experiences.
“Thanks to Career Education’s generous summer internship grant, I have been able to observe and learn about the difficulties and satisfaction of managing a theatre that focuses on marginalized identities.”
Finance, Accounting, and Insurance
A career in Finance can mean many different things, depending on what type of work you’re interested in or what specific subsect you want to explore. Within Finance, you can work in the financial department of an organization (governmental, nonprofit or for-profit) or you can work at a company that provides financial services to individuals, groups, institutions and/or organizations.
“As an intern with the ABC Beijing bureau, I find myself assigned to a variety of tasks, but much of it is helping to research stories, and I’ve even had chance to write a story of my own!”
Curriculum Design
Career paths in curriculum design are wide-ranging, beginning with the variety of terms and job titles you will hear and levels of preparation required (a Bachelor’s degree is required, often a master’s is preferred--or depth of knowledge in the subject). There is often confusion within the occupation surrounding titles. Typically, the role involves development and evaluation of curricular and training materials.
Library Science
Wherever there’s a need for information, there’s a need for a librarian. Libraries have been empowering people by offering resources, services and training to expand their knowledge for thousands of years. According to the American Library Association career resource page there are approximately 400,000 librarians and library workers who bring opportunity every day to the communities they serve.
“I’ve definitely created new roots beyond reconnecting to my Asian heritage, and I hope that I’m one step closer to being a true citizen of the world.”
Social Media
While it is true that platforms are destined to change, the social media revolution in marketing will not fade away; rather, it will evolve and transform to adopt new technologies and new channel streams.
Publishing
There are a wide range of opportunities in book publishing. Some departments you may find include: Editorial, Finance, Contracts, Publicity, Art & Design, Production, Information Technology, Marketing/Advertising/Promotions, Subsidiary Rights and Permissions, Sales, Internet Development, Distribution. A rapidly growing trend in the publishing arena is electronic, audio, and new media formats.
Performing Arts
Like most art disciplines, careers in theatre span widely from performance and creative roles to technical positions to administrative functions and even educational and therapeutic professions.
Museums and Galleries
Museums are educational organizations that collect, preserve, and present important artifacts and/or works of art for the public to view and study. Museums may be organized by their collections (art, history, natural history) or by their intended audiences (children's museums). Possible occupational titles include: museum director, curator, collections manager, archivist, museum technician, conservator, researcher, exhibit designer, educator, editor, photographer, and librarian.
Media
Careers in media production vary from working behind the camera to editing, storyboarding, planning, producing, and managing client relationships. Most media production takes place in the realm of advertising, entertainment, or journalism, but some production companies are hired by corporations or non-profits to produce content for websites, training, or print.
Marketing
Advertising and marketing are terms that tend to be synonymous in the minds of many, and rightfully so; the two functions are complementary and intertwined. In the simplest terms, marketers determine packaging, pricing, and promotion strategy (marketing campaign) for current and new products, keeping the brand, or the image the company is trying to convey with their products, in mind. Advertisers carry out the product promotion through development and strategic placement of memorable and persuasive advertisements, both subtle and overt, to get the message out to the target market.
Market Research and Development
Market researchers work to understand what drives people to buy Cheerios, Chevrolets, and chimichangas.
Journalism
Almost every career in journalism begins with writing experience. While many schools offer specialized degrees in journalism, with courses like Feature Article Writing, Digital Storytelling, Investigative Journalism, etc, students can use skills gained from a liberal arts education to prepare for this career In fact, there are very specialized areas of journalism that are advantaged by a background in science, economics, or other disciplines.
Fine Art
Practicing artists support themselves by teaching, selling artwork, being awarded grants and commissions, and a wide variety of other related (and non-related) professional endeavors. Growing and maintaining an active studio practice requires both training and resources— in the form of materials, equipment, space, and exhibition or performance opportunities. Many artists refine their work and begin to connect with the world of galleries, grants, and exhibitions in a graduate program (usually an MFA program). However, this is not the only path to a career as an artist.
Fashion and Lifestyle
Fashion is a fast-paced and exciting industry for those who love clothes, designs, and trends. This international industry includes careers ranging from modeling to fabric/clothing design, from marketing to retail, from business to manufacturing, from buying to merchandising. Possible occupational titles include: fashion designer, model, photographer, fashion editor, fashion writer, fashion stylist, fashion buyer, retail merchandisers.