Amgen’s Rachael Harte and Barakat Raji explore career paths in bioprocessing and how they find themselves in their current roles.
There is no way to find yourself on the path to meaningful work that provides personal and professional happiness, and it is rarely a straight path. For many, it takes time and persistence to uncover the most appealing aspects of a role, but also to explore avenues that you may have known about, but not yet fully considered.
This is certainly true for Barakat Raji, a bioprocess specialist at Amgen, who explained that initially, as part of his undergraduate degree, he took courses outside of his final destination, as a way to push himself and explore what else was possible.
He told SiliconRepublic.com, “In college, I did an undergraduate degree in biomedical science and then a master’s in microbiology, which had nothing to do with manufacturing, but I wanted to get out of my comfort zone and work well.”
While completing his master’s degree in microbiology, Raji was surprised about the potential of work in a manufacturing environment; however, it was not an area he had much experience with, so he took the initiative to do his own research.
He said, “I wanted to know more about the world of manufacturing. When I saw a job on LinkedIn, I had a little look. It sparked my interest a little bit and I entered, that’s why I entered this field.”
In what is needed in daily life, you find that the needs change, depending on what is needed. He explained that he may need to come in to complete a supply, participate in filling production at Amgen, or prepare a filling.
Raji said, “There’s a lot of computer work too, and if I can do it, anyone can.”
Whose?
As for who might be best suited to participate in manufacturing, Rachael Harte, who started in community pharmacy and was recently promoted to senior associate in manufacturing at Amgen, noted that the role doesn’t necessarily require an all-encompassing scientific background from the get-go. He also continued his studies in the pharmaceutical business when he joined this profession.
He said, “The type of person who is suitable for this role [to] you are a person who is curious about the biopharmaceutical industry, an ambitious person. A scientific background is not essential – someone who likes to collaborate and cooperate.”
As for what people should expect in the early days of their role at Amgen, Harte urged professionals to take advantage of the company’s strong, welcoming and open ecosystem.
“On-the-job training is excellent at Amgen. You have great support from your peers and management. There are people with 30 years of experience here. The expertise and knowledge they are willing to pass on to you with over 30 years of experience, you wouldn’t find anywhere else.”
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