We have a family acquaintance that is a genetics counselor and has offered to help my daughter with shadowing and internship opportunities. She is also an associate professor in this field at our flagship state university.
Admit rates into the 55 accredited programs across the country are maybe 5-10%…so you really need to stand out and it helps to have a mentor or someone “on your side” in the field. There are only a few hundred GCs in each state so they are definitely in demand. $100k is a reasonable starting salary for someone coming out of one of these programs. They are very intensive and include classroom and field/shadowing work. 2 year program generally. Genetics research is an exciting growth field given medical innovations and applications in cancer, prenatal, etc. end markets. You need to understand the science and be able to analyze and interpret the medical data, work in a collaborative environment (with doctors, healthcare providers, patients), be able to explain the data in terms non-medical individuals can understand, be empathetic to patient’s needs and emotions, and employ psychological methods (it really is a “counseling” job). You also need to keep up with the medical/research innovations in the industry, so some level of continuing education is required.
A biology or psychology major is a good start for this career path but so much more is required to get into a GC program (admittance is generally through a “match” system). Diversity in cohorts is sought after by GC master’s programs…so my daughter hopes to bring something unique to the table in having both a STEM and business education and associated experiences.
She may need to fall back more on her business education/training if things don’t pan out or take longer in her pursuit of the GC career path. Having 2 degrees with a broad set of skills and a practical/technical knowledge base position her well and add a lot of optionality to pursue opportunities in this or other fields.