Opportunities in an Expanding Field If you are interested in bioinformatics, now is an exciting time to enter this area of science. There is a growing need for people who are well-trained in both biological and computer sciences. Whether you are a high school student just beginning your post-secondary education, a professional making the transition from a career as a biologist or computer scientist, or coming from an entirely different background, there are opportunities for you to move into a career in bioinformatics. The opportunities in bioinformatics are numerous and multi-faceted. They are also growing in diversity and market value very rapidly. As companies grow and expand, more people are needed at every level, from bioprocess technicians (grunts of bioinformatics) with two-year degrees to research scientists with Ph.D.s. You can work in many different types of ways ranging from academics, industry, and research. The effort in bioinformatics will include updating sequence information as the gaps in the human genome are completed, annotations of gene sequence and function, association with disease and variations across the population. Of even more value to the pharmaceutical industry, similar exercises are needed at the protein level. Data from many sources needs to be amassed, classified and stored. They must be analyzed and annotated. Various types of data must be presented to workers using a variety of platforms. Sophisticated data management and analysis tools have been developed to mine these data resources. Other improvements in data integration and data mining will be required to competitively transform sequence data into information that is useful for diagnosis and development of new drugs and therapy. Thus, bioinformatics will play a key role in the future of genomics, proteomics (dealing with proteins and enzymes) and biotech education and industry. Bioinformatics is an exciting industry to be a part of or to be heading into. With human genome project producing massive amounts of information to be processed and analyzed and the cures for cancer and AIDS becoming starting to look more like Holy Grails people with strong computer science backgrounds are becoming more and more sought after. Furthermore on a personal level bioinformatics offers not only exceptional salary opportunities, but also the knowledge that your field is benefiting the entire population of this world. Pursue a field in bioinformatics today! Established Companies Being that bioinformatics is so deeply involved in research, it takes a lot of money to run the field. Much of the groundbreaking work is done by larger corporations as they have the greatest access to leading technology, which is their most useful tool of discovery. One of the leading companies is 3rd Millennium, Inc. They have made many advances in pharmeceutical research and are highly sought after for their experience and expertise. There are about 80 companies that offer bioinformatics services and products such as consulting, software and databases. Some of the other leading companies include Celera Genomics, Incyte Genomics and Rosetta Inpharmics. These companies have been analyzed and been shown to be strong leaders in the field. If you want to pursue a career in bioinformatics these companies would be a good place to start looking.