Biotechnology is one of the fastest growing fields, not just here in British Columbia, but in all of North America. People who work in biotechnology don't just jump into the field straight from a job selling aquarium gravel or working in a restaurant, however. They studied and trained in biology and sciences for many years beforehand. Though the important credentials come from a university, it's your basic high school biology that can make or break your chances of getting a job in the field. Here's how Biology 101 matters to your future career.

High school biology is the base upon which you will build your entire store of knowledge while studying biotechnology in university. Like a house with a crumbling foundation, if you spend your high school biology years day dreaming about going to an Edmonton salon spa and miss some material, you're going to have trouble building upon it later. Even if you push on regardless, it could all come crashing down around your ears someday as you get more and more confused.

High school biology is likely the first time you will be introduced to cells and the components, such as mitochondria and membranes, that you will be manipulating directly in your career as a biotechnologist. You might, for example, be called upon to analyze test results for a rhinoplasty surgeon in Toronto. If you don't know what an ordinary, healthy cell looks like, how will you recognize the diseased or cancerous ones?

Genetics is another field you'll be introduced to for the first time in high school biology. By learning about how your parents' genes are responsible for how flexible you are in your Yoga classes in Scarborough and how things like eye color and genetic mutations are passed on, you are setting the stage for your career. Genetics is one of the most exciting fields of biotechnology, as scientists are always trying to use genes to produce better cures, larger plants, and more resilient humans.

Understanding the mechanics of life - how cells form, how they divide, how they function - is the base curriculum for high school biology, and it will help you later when you're a biotechnologist. Combined with your physics and chemistry training, you could actually develop a new way to influence, change, or mimic how cells work and earn enough money in patents to buy yourself a new Scarborough condo.