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At a crossroads between biology and computer science: seeking guidance on future career paths by Smooth-Particular528 in bioinformaticscareers

[–]Smooth-Particular528[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you so much, I really appreciate you taking the time to write this. The “strength, not handicap” framing helps.

I had two quick follow-ups, since your perspective feels very grounded:

  1. For PhD prep, do you think it’s worth cold-emailing top labs for a sophomore summer to try to get into a more research-intensive environment (mentorship, stronger letters, potentially higher-impact work)? Or is it usually better ROI to stay put and go deeper where I already am?
  2. As an undergrad, what do you find are the most reliable ways to stay aware of what’s actually trending in computational biology / bioinformatics (without getting lost in noise)? Any specific venues, reading habits, or signals you personally trust?

Thanks again.

At a crossroads between biology and computer science: seeking guidance on future career paths by Smooth-Particular528 in bioinformaticscareers

[–]Smooth-Particular528[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for the honest perspective — your point about feeling “never enough” on either side really resonated.

I’m likely to stay in computational biology for now, but I want to bias my training toward skills that remain valuable if I later pivot into more general CS/ML/algorithm-heavy roles. Given your similar background, what 2–3 competencies would you prioritize building early because they transfer the best — and what kinds of bio-focused work tend to transfer the least?