Life Sciences & Biotechnology
This sector focuses on finding solutions for the world’s great challenges in health care, agriculture, and sustainability. Firms include research, testing and medical laboratories that are engaged in the discovery, development and commercialization of new products. The Life Sciences & Biotechnology sector encompasses many segments, including pharmaceuticals, biomedical devices, M-Health (mobile health) or wireless health, agricultural and industrial biotechnology (e.g., biofuels, biodegradable materials), and bioscience-related distribution and trade. The Life Sciences & Biotechnology sector is an economic driver and job producer; for every job created in this sector, four other jobs are generated throughout San Diego County.
San Diego County Career Pathways & Salary Info - Hourly Rate (Salary)*
HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA OR EQUIVALENT + ADDITIONAL TRAINING
- Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders $19 ($40K)
- Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers $18 ($37K)
- Medical Appliance Technicians $18 ($37K)
- Chemical Plant and System Operators $18 ($37K)
ASSOCIATE DEGREE OR HIGHER
- Chemical Technicians $20 ($42K)
- Medical Equipment Repairers $21 ($44K)
- Biological Technicians $22 ($46K)
- Chemical Engineers $40 ($83K)
- Microbiologists $38 ($79K)
*Entry-level hourly rates have been rounded up and salaries are provided as examples of what workers would make if they worked full-time (2080 hours a year)
SAMPLE OF LOCAL EMPLOYERS
- Abbott
- Aquillius Corporation
- Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD)
- Genentech
- Illumina
- Kite-Gilead
- Laboratory Corporation of America
- Pfizer
- SeaSpine, Inc.
- Thermo Fisher Scientific
Imperial County Career Pathways & Salary Info - Hourly Rate (Salary)*
HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA OR EQUIVALENT + ADDITIONAL TRAINING
- Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers $16 ($33K)
ASSOCIATE DEGREE OR HIGHER
- Biochemists and Biophysicists $56 ($116K)
- Materials Scientists $35 ($73K)
- Urban and Regional Planners $44 ($92K)
- Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists $35 ($73K)
*Entry-level hourly rates have been rounded up and salaries are provided as examples of what workers would make if they worked full-time (2080 hours a year)
SAMPLE OF LOCAL EMPLOYERS
- Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
- BHE Renewables
- Grifols, S.A.
- Imperial County Environmental Health
- Laboratory Corporation of America
- LabCorp
Fast Facts
- $184,422 (SD) & $58,440 (IC) average earnings per job
- 80,992 (SD) & 518 (IC) people employed
- 12% (10,082 SD) & 24% (126 IC) 5-year projected job growth
- 2,474 (SD) & 37 (IC) businesses
- 17% of CA's Life Sciences and Biotechnology employment is in San Diego
- 11% of CA's Life Sciences and Biotechnology businesses are in San Diego
Programs & Schools
MiraCosta College
APPLYSan Diego Miramar College
APPLY- Applied Biotechnology - Molecular Biology
- Biology/Allied Health Track
- Biotechnology
Want to know more? Find the college and program that fuels your success.
student success story
Student Story: Tracy Naputi
Today, Tracy is a scientist. But before getting career training, she was a divorced mother of five, managing a McDonald’s and living with her kids in her mom’s two-bedroom apartment. Tracy wanted to provide a better life for her family and saw the opportunity to earn more money if she studied biotechnology.Watch now to discover how quickly Tracy was hired.
