Seeking Advice on SAS for Entry into Pharma Industry

[LunaLoomer]

Hello Community,

I'm at a crossroads and would appreciate your insights. I aspire to work as a biostatistician or data scientist in the pharmaceutical sector, where proficiency in SAS is often a prerequisite. While I haven't used SAS in my previous roles, it seems crucial for roles in the pharma industry.

Considering this, do you think it's worth investing 1-2 years to learn SAS for my career goals, or do you foresee a shift towards R/Python in these industries in the near future?

Your advice and perspectives are highly valued. Thanks in advance!

[tarheel13]

they're still using SAS but R Shiny is brought up a lot so maybe you want to learn R Shiny.

[SASKiwi]

It's worth remembering that SAS has been widely used aound the world in many industries since the 1980s and continues to be so. I don't think you need to be concerned that this trend will stop any time soon. Also be wary of open source software. It has it's place but companies don't tend to use it for business-critical IT applications for good reasons.

[LunaLoomer]

I want to express my sincere gratitude for the insightful responses and guidance provided regarding my career dilemma. Your diverse perspectives have been invaluable in helping me navigate this decision.

It's reassuring to hear that SAS continues to be widely used in various industries, including pharmaceuticals, and has a longstanding history. The cautionary note about open source software is duly noted, emphasizing the reliability of SAS for business-critical applications.

The mention of R Shiny as a potential alternative is intriguing. I'll certainly explore this avenue further to understand how it complements or aligns with the industry requirements. If anyone has specific insights or resources for getting started with R Shiny, I'd greatly appreciate your recommendations.

Once again, thank you all for taking the time to share your expertise. It's incredibly beneficial as I chart my course toward a career in biostatistics and data science.

EHallPass

Best regards,

LunaLoomer

[tarheel13]

my friend sent me this for R Shiny. https://towardsdatascience.com/build-your-first-shiny-web-app-in-r-72f9538f9868

[Quentin]

I'm not in the Pharma industry, but would still say yes, if you want to work in Pharma, learning SAS is a valuable skill and will be a valuable skill for the foreseeable future.

There is a tremendous amount of work being done within pockets of the Pharma community to move toward R (not as much movement toward Python). So definitely R skills will be helpful to your career as well (Python too, just maybe not Pharma-specific).  Big corporations move slowly, as do regulatory bodies.  The Pharma industry as a whole will not move to R in the 'near future.'  Many companies will need programmers and biostatisticians with both SAS and R knowledge for the foreseeable future.

[aultplan]

Aspiring to work as a biostatistician or data scientist in the pharmaceutical sector is an admirable goal, and choosing the right tools for the job is crucial for success. In this discussion, we'll explore the pros and cons of investing time in learning SAS versus focusing on R/Python for your career goals.

[telligent]

I am pretty strong with SAS and can't seem break into that industry. I assume they hire out of universities because all of the job listings require experience in that industry. So, I guess you have to intern that industry while in school.

[tarheel13]

It's not just new graduates that get hired. An internship in stat programming would help. Generally, hiring is down in Pharma right now. It's also very difficult to get hired without CDISC experience. 

[telligent]

How can one get that CDISC experience? I've tons of jobs and experience with SAS programming and even the clinical trials cert, but can't get a second look without pharma experience.

[Quentin]

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@telligent wrote:
How can one get that CDISC experience? I've tons of jobs and experience with SAS programming and even the clinical trials cert, but can't get a second look without pharma experience.

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I've heard that same experience from many experienced SAS programmers.  It seems like the Pharma industry is notoriously difficult to break into.  I've started a separate thread, asking actual Pharma programmers to describe how they got their first job.  Maybe hearing those stories will help both newbies and experienced programmers looking to transition to Pharma. https://communities.sas.com/t5/SAS-Programming/Pharma-SAS-programmers-how-did-you-get-your-first-Pha...

[tarheel13]

well no one will really want to hire you without CDISC experience but you need to know CDISC to get hired. well you are going to have to be hired as associate stat programmer or stat programmer I. at the entry level, you should not have to know as much CDISC. but people don't necessarily have time to train on SDTM and ADaM so that's why they are reluctant to hire someone without CDISC.