In this industry, earnings are higher than in IT. Companies are looking for bioinformaticians
Bioinformatics is a profession with a future, say labor market experts. The dynamically changing situation and new technological trends open up the need for new specializations. Starting earnings are higher than at junior level in the IT industry.
Artificial intelligence has entered our reality for good. In addition to the numerous benefits and great technological changes that we will encounter in the coming years, it also raises many controversies. “As many as 59 percent respondents from our country expect that AI will cause serious changes in their lives in the near future” – this is the result of the international study “Global Views on AI 2023” conducted by Ipsos.
Technology will make our work easier. New specializations will be created
However, there are visible and positive aspects of this study. More than half of respondents (52%) believe that the development of artificial intelligence will change the way they perform their current work. Every third respondent (30 percent in Poland) expects that this impact will be positive and that AI will make their work easier.
Young employees who have recently started their professional adventure are the most optimistic about new prospects. In their opinion, technological changes may mean the creation of new industries and professional specializations in which they will be able to excel.
New professions are a natural process. The key is to use the potential
– “Professions have been evolving for years and you need to be aware of the changes. It is crucial to understand and use the potential of how artificial intelligence can help us carry out our daily professional duties. – adds Mateusz Cygan, CEO, Product Designer at Memory Squared.
Labor market specialists speak in a similar tone. – The key importance of technology: artificial intelligence, machine learning and Big Data opens up the need for new specializations – they claim. An example are bioinformaticians, i.e. people who analyze and interpret biological data using IT tools and bioinformatics techniques. Their solutions are supported by, among others: doctors in predicting the evolution of the disease and the patient’s treatment process based on available medical data.
Bioinformatics in the bioeconomy. Universities offer new fields of study
The new specialization attracted the attention of not only experts. According to the report, the estimated value of the bioinformatics market last year was USD 18.4 billion, and by the end of the decade it is expected to reach the adjusted value of USD 45.2 billion. This means that the development of this market will generate demand for specialists in this field. Other universities, such as the University of Life Sciences in Lublin, are launching fields of study related to bioinformatics, including: bioinformatics in the bioeconomy.
Not only this year’s high school graduates are talking about working in a new profession. The profession of a bioinformatician is widely commented on social media. Internet users ask whether it is difficult to retrain if they perform a different profession. More and more questions concern the significant differences between the new profession and the tasks performed by IT specialists.
Bioinformatician versus computer scientist. Necessary knowledge in many fields
– A bioinformatician and a computer scientist have many things in common, but there are also important differences between the professions – says Paweł Ciesielka, vice president of the bioinformatics company Proacta. – A bioinformatician plays a key role in modern scientific research, combining knowledge of biology and computer science to help interpret complex biological data sets. Thanks to his technical skills, a bioinformatician is able to analyze, interpret and visualize research results at the molecular level – he adds.
The new field combines biology, medicine, chemistry and computer science. The applications that bioinformaticians work on are often related to health, medicine, genomics, proteomics, evolution, protein structural studies, and other areas of molecular biology. As experts argue, work in this field is highly interdisciplinary and requires deep knowledge in many fields.
Bioinformaticians search databases. And they create models of molecular structures
His work is not limited to sitting in front of a computer. It engages in dynamic cooperation with a scientific team consisting of biologists, geneticists and chemists, advising on the design of experiments and offering specialized tools for data analysis.
– Although for a layman it may look like ordinary computer work, a bioinformatician searches databases, analyzes DNA, RNA or protein sequences, creates three-dimensional models of molecular structures and develops new algorithms. – says Paweł Ciesielka.
Job offers for bioinformaticians. Earnings higher than in the IT industry
According to the vice president of Proacta, it is a constant search for answers in the endless ocean of biological information, aimed at understanding the foundations of life and accelerating discoveries in the fields of medicine and biotechnology. – In fact, their work is the cornerstone of many scientific breakthroughs and is essential for progress in the field of biological sciences – says the expert.
The magnet that attracts the attention of many people is the remuneration for employees in a new specialization. As in the case of programmers, it depends on many factors, primarily experience and skills. However, due to the fact that bioinformaticians necessarily combine specialization in several fields, starting salaries are higher than at the junior level in IT. Salaries for bioinformaticians in Poland range from PLN 8,000. PLN, and 30 thousand PLN per month. And companies are constantly recruiting.
