My thinking about the job market for SAS programmers/stats

普渡哥

First, I want to thank BZ of this forum to put Bancova's 5 term announcement to such an important position.

Feeling owning you guys something, I want to share some of my thinking of the job market for SAS programmers/stats.  Since my experiences are limited to US east coast, my thoughts might not be useful for understanding other areas.

In general, the market is still strong, even in such a bad time of recession.  The great needs can be testified by daily emails from recrutiters who are working with hiring companies in the biopharmaceutical industry. Howver,  the current market has the following features:

1) Hiring managers are becoming increasingly picky in terms of finding more experienced people.  Ten years ago, a master/phd of statistics will be easily accepted by a CRO/Pharmaceutical who is willing to train you at their cost.  Now, fresh graduates without experiences are screened out when many resumes claimed (I say "claimed", meaning that does not necessarily true) the authors have many years experences.  This is challenging for fresh graduates.

2) Outsourcing has just started to India or China in pharamaceuticals, years after outsourcing happened in software field.  This is bad for all people who live in US.

3) More and more small biotech companies have started their phase III clinical trials and need more people in handling their data. This good and bad - good for the general market; bad for unexperienced people for small companies are much more reluctant to hire green hands.

So what we do?

Suggestion 1: Make yourself stronger in terms of skills and knowledge.  Degrees are not enough.  Get two SAS certificates.  Not important ten years ago, but attractive now.  University courses give too much knowledge, not enough skills.  SAS is ONE bridge between pharms and colledge.  Yet, there is another bridge ---

Suggestion 2: networking.  Try to find people who graduated from your univerities.  Let them know you.  They can be more powerful than recruiters for giving you onsite interviews and I'm sure they will help you better when they know you are from the same school --- of course, you must be strong enough.

Suggestion 3: take China as one possibility.  Seems China has started a demanding trend in biopharmaceutical area.  Big pharms have offices in China years ago; small CRO are poping up in Beijing and Shanghai.  The reason behind the tread might have something to do with China's FDA catching up with the world.  Besides, pay is not too bad.

What you can never emphasize enough are three words: leadership, skills,  and knowledge.  Work hard and learn.  Dont spend time even thinking of saying something NOT true in your resumes.  Be honest to you and others.  At the end of the day, you should be able to think: "if this company does not hire me, it's their loss; not mine."

well, just some random thinking...hope helps a bit.

thanks for your attention.