Microbiologist – A Snapshot  What is it ? Microbiology as the name suggests, is the study of microbes- their presence, growth, characteristics and their impact on life. Areas of specialization range from bacteriology (the study of bacteria - often for medical or environmental reasons); immunology (the study of the immune system); parasitology (the study of parasites); virology (the study of viruses); or mycology (the study of fungi).   What can I be?   Depending on your interest you could choose a range of career options from Medical or Veterinary Microbiologist, Industrial Microbiologist, Environmental Microbiologist, Public Health Microbiologist, Agricultural Microbiologist or a Genetic Microbiologist.   Where would I work?   You would be actively associated with research teams, scientists, physicians, engineers, veterinarians, geologist or environmentalists. While most work happens in sterile lab settings you may be required to do some field work as well.   What would be my career path?   Your career could begin with providing technical support to research teams, sampling and analysis, before you move on to supervisory positions and eventually lead projects or research teams. You could also work as an academic.   What are the other jobs I can look for ?   Related jobs could be Food technologist, Pharmacologist, Marine biologist or even a Forensics specialist.