Are you a BSc or HND graduate of Science Laboratory Technology and wondering what you can do with your result?
Are you almost graduating and worried about life after school? Worry no more.
SLT offer many career paths. You will learn about career opportunities for science lab tech on this page.
Many people studied this course at university after applying for admission into medicine but was not given, and offered SLT instead. This is probably you.
While others who wish to study medicine, nutrition and dietetics, nursing, public health or other medical courses at university and couldn’t get admission, settled for polytechnic. And SLT is the closest to a medical course in a polytechnic, so they went for it. This may be you.
And now you find yourself in this position where you ask this question:
What can I do with a BSc or HND in SLT?
This question has probably dominated your mind recently. Not only you, but also those in any of these categories.
Those considering choosing SLT in jamb now,
Those who are already studying SLT at undergraduate level at university or polytechnic,
And like you, those who have been obtained a Higher National Diploma (HND) certificate in SLT from a polytechnic or Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) in SLT from a university.
Whoever you are and wherever you are reading this post, you probably fall into one of the above category. But no matter where you fall, you will find hope on this page.
So now let’s explore SLT career options and where you can fit in. But first, have a review of slt again.
Science Laboratory Technology (SLT) is a science course offered at both universities and polytechnics. While is a four years course in poly (2 years for ND, 2 years for HND), it’s a five years course at university.
But the name of the course seem so ambiguous that you wonder what you can really do with a certificate n SLT.
Let me show you a few things you can do. Bear in mind that this post is aimed at showing you where you can fit in with your slt result in the labour market.
In SLT, you will find Microbiology, Biochemistry, and Physics with Electronics as majors. Therefore, as a graduate of slt, you are regarded as a scientist.
And peradventure you even want to change to another field, there are a variety of courses you can study with your BSc/HND/ND in SLT through direct entry.
No matter what your long term goals and career aspirations are, SLT has a path for you.
Below are amazing career opportunities for graduates of Science Laboratory Technology in Nigeria.
1. Healthcare sector
Surprised? Yes! You can work in the Healthcare sector in Nigeria as an SLT graduate.
In fact, the healthcare sector have many opportunities for Science Laboratory Graduates in Nigeria. That is if you know what you are doing.
You can work in public and private hospitals, medical diagnostic laboratories, or medical research centers, playing a crucial role in patient care and disease detection.
As a Science Laboratory Technologist, if you majored in Microbiology or Biochemistry, your expertise will be essential in conducting tests, analyzing samples, and providing accurate and timely results in a medical lab.
And as you already know, medical laboratories and hospitals are littered all over major cities in Nigeria.
2. Quality Control and Assurance
SLT graduates have the opportunity to work in quality control and quality assurance roles. So anytime you hear quality assurance (in schools or hospitals) or quality control (in food service establishments or pharmaceutical industries), know that you are needed there.
What work do they do in quality control and quality assurance?
If you get any job in this area, it generally involve making sure that products, materials, and processes meet the required standards and specifications. And that’s where you are really needed.
Pharmaceutical companies and manufacturing industries need your expertise in order to maintain quality standards and prevent any potential issues. Even Biochemistry, Microbiology or Genetic laboratories in schools also need your expertise to maintain quality of procedures.
How more important can you be to an organization?
3. Education and teaching
No matter what you studied in school, everyone has a role in the academic world. SLT is not an exception..
By education and academia, we simply mean instructor, technician, or lecturing job in tertiary institution. And just like the other career paths, this also has to do with your passion and interest.
If you have a passion for sharing your scientific knowledge, if teaching interests you, a career in education and academia may come well for you. And there’s money there too.
With a BSc or HND in Science Laboratory Technology, you can become a lecturer or technician or scientist or instructor at a university, polytechnic, college of education or other specialized institute for research.
You can as well get employment as a teacher in a government secondary school to teach any of the science subjects. What a way to pass on your knowledge and scientific background to the next generation of scientists.
4. Government work
Another path you can take as a graduate of SLT is working with the government. You expertise is invaluable at many key government agencies, both are the federal and state level.
As an slt graduate, you are well needed in government agencies that are concerned with public health and safety. By this, I mean government agencies that are related to or have food testing laboratories, forensic science departments, environmental analysts, and population sampling.
5. Consultation
If any of the career paths above don’t appeal to your personality and interests, this one may be the perfect fit.
With your expertise in SLT, you can consult for various organizations and government department. You can provide advise on laboratory setup, as well as equipment needed should a company contact you for that either through referral, recommendation or your own proposal.
This can fetch you a lot of money if you know your onions, and are now well known for this.
6. Research institutions
If you are passionate about scientific innovation and exploration, a career in research and development will make a lot of sense to you.
You can work in the science laboratories of tertiary institutions as an SLT graduate. You can also work in other research institutions that are into scientific analysis and discoveries.
Due to your scientific background (remember we mentioned it earlier?) you may find yourself working at laboratories focused on fields like biology, chemistry, pharmaceuticals, or even environmental science.
7. Travel abroad
No course is entirely useless. That include a BSc or HND in SLT. If you are unable to forge a path for yourself in Nigeria with your expertise in SLT, you can as well travel abroad.
It’s a bit easier for graduates of science courses to travel abroad for work, than for people who studied the arts or social science.
As an SLT graduate, you are seen as a ‘skilled worker’. You can take advantage of the various express travel options provided by top destinations like the USA, UK, South Korea, or Canada.
With an expertise in SLT, you have value to add. So you are relevant in those countries committed to advancing technologies and scientific discoveries.
These opportunities in SLT are available for all graduates. You don’t need to have studied at any of the best universities in Nigeria or polytechnic.
No matter where you studied and the certificate obtained (BSc or HND), there is a place for you.
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Maxwell is a Dietitian with passion for showing people hope. With nearly a decade experience helping people make key decisions on education and career, you can find him almost everywhere on this site. From answering admission and scholarship questions to creating tutorials and helping others live their best lives though nutrition. Connect with me on Twitter.