What, exactly, does a Genetics Laboratory Technician Do?

Question

I am looking into the field of genetics and I am interested in this job, but I want to find out EXACTLY what they do.

Answer 1

It really depends on the lab. In my lab, they extract DNA and run markers to find what genes the animal has. In other labs, you may find the actual sequence of the DNA (A-C-T-G). Genetics is a large field and no two labs do the same thing.

Answer 2

A laboratory technician is unfortunately pretty low on the ladder of academic research.

Again, as above though, duties may vary.

You might be some PhD's robot for 40 hours a week, or you might have to spend much of your time twisting your brain and trying to come up with experiments, and then running them.

But, if you're working in a clinical genetics lab (where you deal with samples from people who need to be genetically tested)...

You spend much of your day doing fairly repetitive pipetting tasks, adding appropriate reagents and placing trays in proper machines. Technicians might also have to report data results, and even analyze data (again, this all depends on where you're working).

Answer 3

It all depends on the lab in which you work, every job is different, there is no standard. You may do everything from washing glassware and making solutions to managing your own research project. Basically, you will have to read the posted job description and interview to really find out what a specific job entails.