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<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A href="mailto:FromYosee@aol.com"
title=FromYosee@aol.com>FromYosee@aol.com</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A
href="mailto:extropy-chat@lists.extropy.org"
title=extropy-chat@lists.extropy.org>extropy-chat@lists.extropy.org</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Friday, November 21, 2003 12:48
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> [extropy-chat] Career advice
sought in nanotech/genetic engineering</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>I have a doctorate in the social sciences with little background in the
natural</DIV>
<DIV>sciences. However, I am dissatisfied with the "soft" sciences
and am finding</DIV>
<DIV>an interest in the new medical technologies. So I am
contemplating a career</DIV>
<DIV>change either to tissue engineering or nanotechnology. I am
looking for advice</DIV>
<DIV>from anyone who is familiar with the future of these careers or who may
already</DIV>
<DIV>be working in those fields. Since I am middle aged I would want to
pick a</DIV>
<DIV>program that I could complete in as little time as possible. Any
advice would</DIV>
<DIV>be appreciated. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV>Ok. I have some understanding of the future career prospects in the areas
</DIV>
<DIV>you mention and I have read your question so I will respond. (Though I
should</DIV>
<DIV>probably be doing other work :-)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>The only reason why either tissue engineering or nanotechnology would
be</DIV>
<DIV>poor choices of study (generally speaking) would be if by the time you
had</DIV>
<DIV>acquired the knowledge in those fields your knowledge was no longer </DIV>
<DIV>relevant because it had been superceeded. That is incredibly unlikely in
</DIV>
<DIV>both the tissue engineering and the nanotechnology fields as both are</DIV>
<DIV>new and still being defined (nano is fuzzier but it is sexy as all hell
and</DIV>
<DIV>governments the world over are funding it because they are afraid not
to).</DIV>
<DIV>Anybody that decides to be a student in the areas that are leading
edge</DIV>
<DIV>in ones day is going to find they are empowering themselves in a number
</DIV>
<DIV>of dimensions. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Depending on your personal circumstances you might want to consider</DIV>
<DIV>part time study. You might also want to consider whether you want to </DIV>
<DIV>acquire knowledge only (that can sometimes be done faster) or whether</DIV>
<DIV>you want to have a certificate saying you have the knowledge as well.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>There are sound reasons for choosing either strategy but it really is
</DIV>
<DIV>a matter of customising them to yourself. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Good luck and good learning.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Regards,</DIV>
<DIV>Brett </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
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