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Best Jobs For Former Laboratory Technicians [2026]

By Chris Kolmar
Jul. 13, 2022
Last Modified and Fact Checked on:

Best Jobs For Former Laboratory Technicians in 2026

Transitioning from a laboratory technician role can be challenging in today’s evolving job market. Many professionals in this field are re-evaluating their career paths and exploring new opportunities.

While the enrollment in programs for laboratory technician roles remains stable, interest in these positions has seen a decline. This shift raises an important question:

What career paths are former laboratory technicians pursuing now?

To find out, we analyzed the resumes of numerous former laboratory technicians to identify the most common roles they transitioned into. From thousands of responses, we focused on the top 100 jobs to provide insights into this career evolution.

Best Jobs For Former Laboratory Technicians

  1. Chemist Jobs

  2. Research Associate Jobs

  3. Scientist Jobs

  4. Associate Scientist Jobs

  5. Medical Technologist Jobs

  6. Graduate Research Assistant Jobs

  7. Phlebotomist Jobs

  8. Research Scientist Jobs

  9. Analytical Chemist Jobs

  10. Process Engineer Jobs

While some of these roles may be more appealing than others, they certainly reflect the diverse opportunities available for former laboratory technicians.

The complete list of career options is detailed below.

Detailed Ranking of the Most Common Jobs of Former Laboratory Technicians

Rank Job Title %
1 Research Assistant 1.59%
2 Chemist 1.13%
3 Research Associate 1.01%
4 Scientist 1.0%
5 Sales Associate 0.8%
6 Customer Service Representative 0.74%
7 Internship 0.74%
8 Associate Scientist 0.73%
9 Medical Technologist 0.71%
10 Technician 0.7%
11 Laboratory Manager 0.65%
12 Registered Nurse 0.64%
13 Laboratory Assistant 0.56%
14 Graduate Research Assistant 0.56%
15 Medical Laboratory Technician 0.54%
16 Laboratory Supervisor 0.53%
17 Phlebotomist 0.52%
18 Quality Laboratory Technician 0.52%
19 Laboratory Analyst 0.51%
20 Medical Assistant 0.48%
21 Manager 0.48%
22 Engineering Technician 0.45%
23 Quality Control Technician 0.45%
24 Project Manager 0.43%
25 Teaching Assistant 0.43%
26 Research Technician 0.42%
27 Manufacturing Technician 0.42%
28 Administrative Assistant 0.42%
29 Machine Operator 0.42%
30 Senior Laboratory Technician 0.42%
31 Research Scientist 0.4%
32 Pharmacist Technician 0.39%
33 Volunteer 0.39%
34 Analytical Chemist 0.38%
35 Quality Assurance Technician 0.37%
36 Team Leader 0.36%
37 Clinical Laboratory Scientist 0.36%
38 Office Manager 0.35%
39 Supervisor 0.34%
40 Process Engineer 0.34%
41 Microbiologist 0.33%
42 Cashier 0.32%
43 Analyst 0.31%
44 Quality Control 0.31%
45 Teacher 0.31%
46 Owner 0.3%
47 Associate 0.3%
48 Substitute Teacher 0.29%
49 Consultant 0.28%
50 Senior Scientist 0.28%
51 Field Service Technician 0.27%
52 Quality Assurance 0.27%
53 Quality Assurance Specialist 0.26%
54 Assistant Manager 0.26%
55 Field Technician 0.25%
56 Quality Assurance Manager 0.25%
57 Quality Control Analyst 0.25%
58 Service Technician 0.24%
59 Research And Development Technician 0.23%
60 Quality Engineer 0.23%
61 Operations Manager 0.23%
62 Quality Control Chemist 0.23%
63 Sales Representative 0.23%
64 Server 0.23%
65 Office Assistant 0.22%
66 Specialist 0.22%
67 Quality Control Inspector 0.22%
68 Production Supervisor 0.22%
69 Graduate Assistant 0.22%
70 Manufacturing Associate 0.21%
71 Technical Support Specialist 0.21%
72 Certified Nursing Assistant 0.21%
73 Research Laboratory Technician 0.2%
74 Coordinator 0.2%
75 Lead Laboratory Technician 0.2%
76 Environmental Scientist 0.2%
77 Electronics Technician 0.19%
78 Production Technician 0.19%
79 Physician Assistant 0.19%
80 Computer Technician 0.19%
81 Instructor 0.19%
82 Adjunct Professor 0.19%
83 Senior Technologist 0.19%
84 Maintenance Technician 0.19%
85 Operator 0.18%
86 Process Technician 0.18%
87 Quality Control Manager 0.17%
88 Receptionist 0.17%
89 Graduate Researcher 0.17%
90 Manufacturing Engineer 0.17%
91 Tutor 0.16%
92 Histologic Technician 0.16%
93 Data Analyst 0.16%
94 Technical Support Technician 0.16%
95 Science Teacher 0.16%
96 Security Officer 0.16%
97 Research And Development Chemist 0.16%
98 Engineer 0.16%
99 Senior Chemist 0.16%
100 Engineering Internship 0.16%

Most Common Jobs For Former Laboratory Technicians

  1. Research Assistant

  2. Chemist

  3. Research Associate

  4. Scientist

  5. Sales Associate

  6. Customer Service Representative

  7. Internship

  8. Associate Scientist

  9. Medical Technologist

  10. Technician

These positions represent viable career options, leveraging the skills and knowledge gained as a laboratory technician while also providing pathways to new opportunities.

How We Determined the Best Jobs of Former Laboratory Technicians

We utilized data from our extensive database of over 7 million resumes to identify the career trajectories of individuals who listed laboratory technician in their work history. By analyzing their subsequent job roles, we created a ranked list of the most common transitions.

To highlight the most intriguing career shifts, we filtered this list to identify positions that:

  • Appeared in fewer than 1% of all new jobs
  • Were not part of the top 100 most common jobs in our database

In conclusion, former laboratory technicians possess a wealth of transferable skills that allow for successful transitions into various fields. Understanding these pathways can empower current technicians to explore diverse career opportunities and find fulfilling roles beyond the laboratory.

Author

Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.

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