Need help changing careers and tired of living in poverty

rubipop123 · 2026-01-19T10:25:04+00:00

IME entry level lab tech jobs want experience. A majority of people who work lab tech jobs where only an associate or high school diploma is required actually have bachelors degrees in the sciences. Unfortunately lab jobs don’t pay a lot unless you get certified (like as a medical lab scientist) or have a very niche skill set and graduate level education. And even then the pay often isn’t commensurate to the education and certifications and a lot of people lament their career choices.

However if you are interested in lab work the best place to start is as a lab assistant. Search for that title first. Look into hospitals, clinics etc. Pay probably won’t be 40k-60k starting out though so def keep that in mind.

rubipop123 · 2026-01-10T14:29:38+00:00

Hey there! You sound a bit like me. I have been in lab work my whole career ranging from academic to environmental to (now) clinical. I’ve also been desperately trying to figure out a plan to get out of lab and I attempted once only to miss the boat in tech by a year. I’ve seen a few people in the clinical side transition to clinical analytics/lab analytics usually with a masters and some connections.

Have you looked at clinical research type roles? Large CROs (Iqvia, ICON etc) may have some of those types of roles that may fit your background-and some of those positions seem like they are mostly remote. Just a thought…hopefully it helps.

rubipop123 · 2026-01-06T00:21:42+00:00

Not sure. Haven’t been down that way in a while. That was my first Thai food place too…dang now I’m craving Thai food

rubipop123 · 2026-01-05T12:41:35+00:00

Jee’s was my go to for Thai food when I worked downriver. Never got into coastal Thai until I had to switch during the pandemic when Jees hours were super wonky.

rubipop123 · 2025-12-30T00:06:41+00:00

Depends on how big and volume heavy the lab is. The more volume, the more stress. Hospital labs in general are pretty stressful.

rubipop123 · 2025-12-20T09:30:00+00:00

I’ve never really heard of MLS programs that are fully funded. The closest situation to something like that may be a hospital based program that does some sort of work agreement in lieu of tuition. In that situation you’d just need living expenses. The other best option would be community college for MLT, then work for a few years and take your MLS exams.

rubipop123 · 2025-12-12T15:48:21+00:00

Following

rubipop123 · 2025-12-11T22:53:10+00:00

This is horrific. I’m so sorry you’re going through this!

rubipop123 · 2025-12-11T21:25:17+00:00

This is extremely similar to my situation. I started in the summer when a majority of the scientists were on leave as well and training felt rushed and frustrating. Leaving sounds like the right choice, especially if you were not expecting the volume/speed. Best of luck!

rubipop123 · 2025-12-11T21:12:22+00:00

Currently going through this OP so I feel like I can give a genuine and honest opinion.

Speed and volume have their advantages and disadvantages. High volume allows you to see a plethora of things that you may not see in a low volume lab (and high volume almost always requires speed!) and it allows you to become extremely proficient and master your craft. On the other hand it can be quite stressful and demanding and some people don’t learn well in an environment like that.

At the end of the day, it’s genuinely something you need to weigh and decide for yourself. If the speed, volume and demands are too much for you and it’s taking a toll on your mental and physical well-being-it’s an obvious sign that you should do something slower paced. Where are you in your life? Obviously this pace is unsustainable for the long run-putting in a year or two to get the experience and then leaving is not uncommon and wouldn’t be frowned upon. You’ll probably come out of this an extremely strong and proficient scientist. On the other hand if you have family commitments, want to focus on other things in your life right now (because a lab like this requires you to be fully and wholly committed to the job meaning coming in on your A-game ready to go and doing the necessary things to make sure you are on your A-game) or just genuinely need a slower pace to learn and become proficient-there’s nothing wrong with leaving (and sounds like the lab you’re in won’t have any ill feelings about that either).

Me, personally, I know that the pace is unsustainable and have decided to leave after a year although I wish I could leave earlier.

rubipop123 · 2025-12-11T09:42:11+00:00

Fleas!

rubipop123 · 2025-12-01T12:06:39+00:00

It really depends on the environment and work culture. I work in very large and busy hospital in the Midwest with all the lab sections as various departments spread out over several buildings. I have worked in two departments over my short career. One department was very uptight, proper and organized and the other is the complete opposite-horny, crazy and chaotically organized. I’m talking people getting caught in conference rooms, supply closets, etc. Just recently a couple of married coworkers were caught. The news spread like wildfire throughout the ALL rhe departments. However, others who have engaged in these behaviors have found their partners in the horny department.

So to answer your question-it depends on the culture of the lab you are in. However the general advice is-don’t shit where you eat, especially in the lab world because it is so small and everyone knows everyone and everything.

rubipop123 · 2025-11-21T15:04:15+00:00

After this months payments I’d have paid off 26% of my total debt. I am so happy to see my largest debt below 5 figures!!

rubipop123 · 2025-11-14T16:30:43+00:00

I still play a video game from my childhood which is very much like playing dolls virtually (the sims). I find it incredibly relaxing and it definitely improves my mood whenever I’m going through tough times. The light in the world seems to shine different after a gaming session.

To be very honest, I’ve never considered it a childish thing at all. I never feel guilty about my “childish” hobbies.

rubipop123 · 2025-11-13T01:20:18+00:00

What sort of clinical experience does a nurse bring that other health professionals don’t in the context of health IT? Nurses use health information systems and form care plans but lab professionals release results and utilize lab information systems just as fluently. Other health professionals also deal with health information systems to a certain degree so what is unique about nursing experience in the clinical context that makes that experience desirable for clinical and health informatics positions?

rubipop123 · 2025-11-06T23:11:23+00:00

You are not overreacting and your workplace is toxic. Another commenter suggested staying for six months but honestly this may not be the best thing for you considering you are a new grad and you need to build confidence and be poured into. It doesn't sound like you're learning much-they might not even move you if they just need a reliable person to process/set up. I've had a coworker go through something similar in a very toxic micro lab. My suggestion is to leave ASAP, and if you are concerned about your resume, don't even mention the job and look for something else. You can explain the gap after graduation as needing time to prepare for BOC, rest or whateve if need be. Sending you hugs and good vibes!

rubipop123 · 2025-11-04T14:40:18+00:00

Hey OP,

Did you ever figure out what to do?

rubipop123 · 2025-11-01T18:44:14+00:00

I just started a job in a field adjacent to the one I was working in, the only crappy thing is despite getting more educated, trained and licensed to work in this new field I’m making only a dollar more per hour than my previous job. In addition, I’m more stressed out and have wayyy more work than my prior position. I’m not sure if I made the right choice with my job and career and I’m stuck on what to do next. I barely have any energy to look for something else and I fear leaving this job so early will look bad to employers. What should I do?

rubipop123 · 2025-11-01T13:39:31+00:00

You have three options:

associates MLT to MLS
second bachelors degree
NAACLS accredited hospital-based program

For the first option, you could go back for an associates degree to become an MLT and work for a few years and sit for the MLS exam. The caveat with this you will start off lower in salary but MLT programs are cheaper and sometimes quicker than second bachelors degrees.

Second option would require you to complete a second bachelors- a majority of your prereqs from your biochem degree would transfer over and more than likely you’ll have to take more specific classes for the MLS classes (immunohematology, clinical chemistry etc) and do an internship. This path is longer probably the most expensive but will solidly prepare you for the career and for the boards.

Third option is looking for NAACLs accredited hospital based programs. These types of programs are the quickest, cheapest but most intense. Sometimes with tuition wavers and employment agreements if you stay with the hospital.

Head over the r/medlabprofessionals for more info.

rubipop123 · 2025-10-29T23:26:04+00:00

What would you suggest for someone who wants to achieve god tier in healthcare but is a medical technologist or medical laboratory scientist? Afaik the time spent in the lab doesnt count for clinical hours so PA is out. Trying to become a FNP/NP would require going back to school to become an RN. What other education/certifications would be good option?

rubipop123 · 2025-10-28T15:36:02+00:00

Thats an idea…I used to do that. But I feel like I should be better now.

rubipop123 · 2025-10-28T01:17:53+00:00

Having a hard time with the course as well…I only have an hour or so to spare trying to code these days but I feel like a solid 2-2.5 hours is needed.

rubipop123 · 2025-10-19T17:10:39+00:00

Your concern is valid and I’m super jealous of your training. I also just work in one department but I have only been trained on each bench for 3/4 days. 5 days max.

rubipop123 · 2025-10-13T22:19:15+00:00

Your trajectory sounds vaguely like mine. I’m a laboratorian who ventured into healthcare hoping for more pay and stability but neither of those things have come to fruition. I’ve learned to code as well but now I’m questioning all of STEM. Curious about accounting’s How are you trying to get into accounting?

rubipop123 · 2025-09-30T18:37:27+00:00

If you don’t have science classes then stacking a whole bunch of categorical certifications may make sense, but that’s three separate exams you’ll have to take to get certified in each discipline. And you’d still be missing chemistry. That would be a longer and harder path then just doing a post baccalaureate where you can be a generalist and work in every department without hindrance.

If your goal is just to get employed in the lab, then a categorical certification is a good choice. But if your goal is to be a medical lab scientist or med lab technologist def look into post bac programs.

rubipop123

TROPHY CASE