Biotech Beat: Getting your "foot-in-the-door"!

Skylar Thomas works at Grifols Therapeutics in North Carolina as a Training Administrator. She also teaches the BioWork certificate program at a local high school—her industry experience helps give her words authenticity which is so valuable when discussing a career path with a group of young people.

Skylar had a love for science throughout her childhood as well as her family’s support of the sciences--she believes these were the main factors for going into a STEM field. After Skylar graduated from high school she enrolled in East Carolina University, in secondary science education.  She hoped to use her “heart and passion” for teaching to teach for her whole career. Even though Covid-19 hit between her junior and senior years in college, she finished her teaching 4-year degree with course work in biology as well, and started middle-school science teaching. Two years later she found out about positions at Grifols through a family friend, and after taking the Johnston Community College BioWork certificate she was a perfect fit to start at Grifols.

The Grifols facility she works in is located in the county she grew up in and produces and packages medicines, in particular treatments for blood disorders and blood-related conditions. She began as an Assistant Biologist monitoring products during their production in the lab. When Skylar started working at Grifols she found out that the production part of the building was a much smaller part of the space than she had envisioned as she passed it as a child growing up in the area. There are a lot of support activities that go on when biomanufacturing is being done. She explained that the monitoring positions run 24/7 and the hourly pay scale is different depending on which shift you work--first shift is approximately  $23-$26, and second or third shift have a percentage increase of 7-10%. Her new Training Administrator shift is a first shift position and is paid at first shift scale.

Skylar calls the first-year positions in the company “foot-in-the-door year” positions, where you work hard then move vertically or laterally within Grifols because there are many growth opportunities within the company. Skylar’s teaching experience helped her transfer to her Training Administrator position, a move that she believes will better fit her future family’s needs. Grifols has also helped Skylar learn the ins and outs of company benefits as she navigated health insurance sign-ups and 401K retirement contribution matching.

Skylar says she learns new things every day at Grifols and she is eager to pass on that knowledge to her students so that they can overcome the challenge of understanding the complex process of production. Along with Skylar's job at Grifols, she also teaches the BioWork certificate at the high school which helps showcase employment opportunities that do not require a 2- or 4-year degree, allowing Skylar to have the best of both worlds—biotech and teaching.

Her advice? “Be open-minded!” Skylar explains that the starting position she got with her certificate was just the beginning of her career. And, if you are thinking about starting a career in biotech, watch for job fairs and community events, as well as volunteering at biotech-related community college events that can help you get that “foot-in-the-door”. 

The Biotech Beat Podcast (funded by DUE 2202011) has new episodes every month. Hear all of Skylar's interview on Spotify,  iHeart Radio, or Apple Podcasts
 
Are you a community college graduate and interested in being on the podcast? Please email Cassandra @ cassandra.mitchell-nothaus@austincc.edu