DKM: I like being able to solve problems. If someone is struggling to understand a concept or needs help executing a specific task using computers and I can help them, this is extremely rewarding. The current challenge is that there is not enough time to learn all the methods everyone needs or even just enough time to understand everyone's projects. Therefore, I am trying to become more organized with better documentation and also create automatized solutions that will serve many people without me having to give so much one-on-one input.
What advice do you have for a student interested in your industry? What skills are most crucial?
SB: The most crucial technique you need is programming. Formal training in programming is necessary to become a professional bioinformatician. If I had the power or a time machine to reset and restart a stage in my academic life, I would choose to learn to program formally. That technical knowledge really helps in your job. Now, there are dedicated courses and degree programs to do this, unlike during my undergraduate time.
DKM: Programming is a big part of all of this, but you also need to like biology and be driven to understand what is happening behind biological processes. I would advise someone to start with a very simple, small personal programming project/task where you can envision yourself going all the way to finish it. These projects can be as small as ten lines of script that do something. The project could be as small as telling you how many letters are in a DNA sequence or how many times a specific nucleotide shows up! As soon as you have it finished, make it public.
