Grad students/Public Health/Microbiology....

Ok I am hoping with the reach and breath of this websites community there are at least a few public health/microbiologists/grad students in similar fields that might read this..

Kind of at a loss of direction here and any insight/advice would be appreciated.

I am about to graduated with a double major in biology and public health...my dream is to work on disease/emerging pathogen/microbiology outbreaks and research...

However...I need to take 2-3 more courses for grad school/med school application pre reqs so I was planning on working for the next year (or so) hopefully in the fields I mentioned above...however every job/employment posting seems to require 1-3 yrs of experience and already possessing a grad school degree in the field.

I am leaning towards jobs in the public sector...my dad is trying to force me to go into a job in the private sector...

any advice or info on personal experiences would be very appreciated...

Given the current economy, unless you have a very sought-after skillset or some other qualification that makes you a very desirable employee, you take what you can get...

I can't speak specifically about public health, but I can speak with experience in biology. Unfortunately the experience is a pretty standard requirement. I managed to get my job upon graduation, only because I was already working for the company as a seasonal field assistant. Most other people have to take seasonal, part time, or volunteer positions until they get the necessary experience and/or graduate degree to achieve the permanent job they desire.