Is there a profession out there that's an equal balance between creative writing/publishing and biomedical science?

Look into being a science writer or editor, which is very different from technical writing (and much more fun!). Writers who have what's called "subject matter expertise," especially in science, are in high demand. Having solid scientific knowledge in any topical area gives you freedom to write in a variety of formats and places.

However, there’s no need to commit to one narrow career path now. College is the time to try different things and be open to discovering what you love. It’s great that you’re developing two passions. Take the classes you love now, and your career and likely your major/minor will sort themselves out. Stand on your own, listen to your intuition, and accept that life always has twists and turns.

I've been a developmental editor for 30 years. Early in my career, I spent seven years working on science and computer magazines—something I never would have predicted, considering my severe math/science anxiety. I’ve hired many, many writers and editors over the years—I have no idea what they majored in. In the end, your experience, interests, drive, and networking will determine what you do, not your college major.

Are you interested in TV writing? If so... If you continue with the biomedical science training it could eventually help you land a job on a medical or forensics-related cop show that could help pay the bills while you write the other stories you are interested in telling (which could be a novel or poetry). Certainly study in any other field can be helpful to your writing as a form of research. I would keep pursuing both as long as you can and perhaps your preference will become clear. Hope this helps.

Hi Jada, I had the same conundrum! It is a tricky path to figure out because it's not "typical," but rest assured you have a lot of options. I'll tell you more about how I approached it in hopes that it gives you a helpful example.

I grew up very focused on writing and creative pursuits before I got into science, and once I became involved in my own research I realized I had found both of my passions and wanted to find a way to blend them into one career. I ended up pursuing both things at once, and sometimes they overlapped clearly and sometimes they didn't. When I was an undergrad, I majored in biology and minored in poetry. Then, after college I had a research job and an editorial internship at a magazine on the side. I debated whether to do a master's in science journalism (an obvious blend of the two paths, and a great option if you're interested) but ultimately decided to pursue the research I was so passionate about. In my graduate career, as I was working on my biology research, I sought out every possible opportunity to communicate about science--both my work and others'. I wrote tons of grant applications (as I had to) and really immersed myself into learning the strategy of grant writing. I gave every talk I possibly could, to practice crafting a story for different audiences. I enrolled in a science writing workshop and got a part-time job reporting and writing stories for my graduate department website.

All of these things together gave me a lot of experience as a scientist AND as a writer, though only some of those things combined both at once. That's ok--it all counts. Ultimately, I was able to apply my skills both in science + writing in a totally new field (pharma), because the experiences I gained from doing such a diversity of things showed me that I could be really versatile in my career. And one of the most helpful things was to be outgoing and friendly (even if I felt awkward or nervous) to build my network across all the different areas I'm interested in.

My biggest piece of advice would be to seek out very diverse opportunities simultaneously, even if they don't necessarily seem to fit together. Meet as many people as you can. Dive into things that interest you, even if you don't know what the specific path will be. and follow your gut!

You could study biomedical science and minor in creative writing so perhaps you could write for a company in that field and still do creative writing on the side. Best of luck!

Marilyn Lowry