Are you considering studying towards a degree in Biotechnology?

According to a recent report by Grand View Research, the global biotech market is set to reach $727.1 billion (about R11 trillion) by 2025.

Whether food and lifestyle or well-being, biotechnology is adding new dimensions to everything that matters to us and the larger ecology.

Biotechnology is the application of biology for the benefit of humanity and the environment. It harnesses living organisms to provide foods and medicines, and for tasks such as cleaning toxic waste or detecting harmful substances.

After completion of a recognised degree of BTech in Biotechnology, a student may draw a salary between R408 413 or an equivalent hourly rate of R196. In addition, they earn an average bonus of R9 557 a month with excellent incremental growth.

A degree in biotechnology is a good major to choose, as the field equips you with transferable skills that can be used for an array of jobs. Moreover, the sky is the limit for those who opt for start-up/entrepreneurial avenues in biotech.

Trained biotechnology professionals can explore a plethora of opportunities in academic, research or industry in a number of areas including:

• Healthcare

• Disease diagnostic

• Food and Nutrition

• Pharmaceutical Biotechnology

• Textile Industry

• Agriculture and Environment biotechnology

Professionals in biotechnology may work in profiles such as:

• Medical Scientists – they work in the diagnosis and research of disease in health-care or research laboratories.

• Biomedical Engineers – their focus is on advances in technology and medicine to develop new devices and equipment for improving human health.

• Microbiologists – they study the microscopic organisms that cause infections, including viruses, bacteria, fungi and algae.

• Biological Technicians – sometimes called laboratory assistants, typically are responsible for doing scientific tests, experiments and analyses under the supervision of biologists (such as microbiologists) or medical scientists who direct and evaluate their work.

• Medical and Clinical Lab Technicians – they perform tests to produce reliable and precise data to support scientific investigations.

• Biophysicists – learns about organisms through the use of physics and biology.

• Microbiologists – they study the microscopic organisms that cause infections, including viruses, bacteria, fungi and algae

• Epidemiologists – search for the cause of disease, identify people who are at risk, determine how to control or stop the spread or prevent it from happening again.

And for those students who are interested in choosing research as a career need to pursue Doctoral studies (PhD).

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