We bring you the career stories of ANNT members to give you insight into the wide range of possible career paths and broaden your vision of STEM professions.
The next story comes from the United States of America, from Irnela Bajrović:
"I am Irnela Bajrović and I graduated in biochemistry from the University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin), United States of America (USA), and then, in October 2020, I obtained my PhD on the topic “Development and characterisation of thermostable thin films as a new vaccine dosage form”.
In choosing this field and these studies, I was helped by the school/student internships I did during my education, which were related to the professional work I do today. For example, I researched organic chemistry and worked in a pharmacy until I found a position in a laboratory focused on alternative forms of vaccination. There I finally found the place where I belong, because the research was exciting, the long hours inspiring, and I was truly satisfied.
I am currently employed at a leading, well-known company whose mission is dedicated to the development of genetic materials, and my job is to develop the formulation departments for genetic therapies. We are focused on finding stabilising formulations that overcome cold chain requirements, which seriously affect the delivery, distribution and administration of various biologics around the world. The best part of my day is when we discover new findings that bring us closer to achieving our goals. I am also given the freedom to create my own daily schedule and to report to my boss once a week to confirm that our formulation team's visions are aligned with the company's mission.
As my career progresses, a natural step forward would be to start my own formulation company or to work as CSO/CTO for an existing pharmaceutical company. The goal of all scientists is to have the freedom to explore different theories and then implement them as solutions. The best part of such a career, in my opinion, is that you can do it anywhere in the world. Different markets need different kinds of solutions, and we as scientists are trained to be experts in problem-solving. So working in this field in/from Bosnia and Herzegovina is not only possible, but also needed and highly profitable.
What I would also point out is that schooling in the USA, i.e. the education system, is somewhat different from the European one, because in the USA you decide on your future profession only after finishing secondary school, that is, at the moment of enrolling at a university, which is not the case in Europe. Essentially, in the USA all secondary schools are equivalent to a gymnasium.
And finally, my main advice to future successful people is to try as many things as possible during their education and not to be afraid of making a bad choice, because in fact the only wrong choice is not to make a choice. You have to be honest with yourself about what you want and what kind of life you want to live, and let that influence your choice."
