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Associate of Manufacturing at Amgen

A year and a half ago, Alex Khaw found himself in the right place at the right time. Almost immediately after throwing his cap in the air upon graduating from Northeastern University with a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering, he walked right into his first job. To his good fortune, Amgen, a Fortune 500 company that specializes in human therapeutics, was in the midst of a hiring push. The international biotechnology company tapped Khaw to come on board as an associate of manufacturing at its facility in West Greenwich, Rhode Island.

By Katie Ford

"I was lucky," Khaw admits. "It was hard for many of my fellow classmates to find jobs straight out of college."

Working for a science-driven, entrepreneurial enterprise proved exciting for the 25-year-old, but Khaw soon discovered that to stay competitive in such a cutting-edge field, he would have to continuously update and expand his skill set. Only a year out of college, he decided it was necessary to return to the classroom--this time at the nearby University of Rhode Island to pursue a master's degree in clinical lab sciences with a focus on biotechnology.

"With how well the biotech industry is currently doing, I wanted to take classes that would help me better develop in that field," Khaw says. "While a degree in chemical engineering allowed me to gain a wealth of knowledge in the subjects of physics, calculus, and chemistry, I wanted something to fill in the gaps where I lacked in the subject of biology. I felt that having a well-rounded background in both engineering and biology would best aid me in going into a more research-based field later in my career."

Khaw now balances his full-time job at Amgen with a weekly night class--a schedule that enables him to earn three credit-hours a semester. If all goes as planned, he should complete his master's degree in two and a half years. The best part is that Amgen will reimburse Khaw for his tuition and textbooks at the end of each semester if he earns a passing grade.

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