Case studies: Pea breeding technician: Jennifer

Jennifer studied an ecology degree at Lancaster University and graduated in 2010 with a 2:1. She now works for an agricultural seeds operating company

After university I applied for quite a few jobs in conservation and I volunteered for conservation bodies for a year. I started to broaden my job searches and found a position at Limagrain UK  for a laboratory technician, in the Double Haploid Laboratory. I applied for the job hoping that I could work my way up into plant breeding.

After around six months of working in the lab an opportunity came up in a different department, which was more practical. I went to the interview but was unsuccessful, however another opportunity came up in the pea department and I was successful in securing this position without an interview.

My degree was science based and this helped me secure my current job. In part of my degree I studied plant biology, which has helped with plant breeding. Generally my degree has given me a good understanding of the environment and how plants react in it, which is useful in plant breeding.

It's difficult to describe a typical day; what we do depends on what season it is. In spring we start drilling the seed and, depending on the weather, this can stretch from the beginning of March till May. In the summer we start vining the peas (which is hand pulling plots of peas to carry out specific tests), and then later in the season we start to combine the remaining plots as we need the seed for the next year.

In the autumn and winter we clean and treat all the seed ready for drilling in the spring. During the year we also do a lot of work in the glasshouse as we have many rotations of peas during one year to speed up the breeding process. In the winter we begin crossing, which is the beginning of the breeding process. We hand pollinate the plants to hopefully get varieties that will be better than what exists in the market at the moment.

I started out knowing very little about this job and to begin with I was given the responsibility of looking after the glasshouses. Now after a year of being in this job, I am moving up to become a technical officer, which means I now have more responsibility. In the future I will hopefully get the opportunity to further my education and study for an MSc in Plant Genetics and Crop Improvement.

I love being outside in the field, even in the rain and I enjoy being out drilling, vining and combining. It's hard work but I find it very satisfying. There is always something interesting to learn about breeding and about peas specifically. I also like learning about agriculture and understanding what a farmer is looking for in their crops.

The most challenging parts of my job are the long summer days where we can work till late in the evening. It's very tiring but also quite fun as we all go out together with flasks of tea and coffee and get the job done.

The best thing about working in this sector is that it's always interesting; things change all the time. Breeding new varieties means that we are always looking at new material, so it never gets stagnant. Being able to work outside and being very hands on with the job make it fun.

My advice would be to not worry about starting from the bottom and working your way up in a job. Nowadays you need more than a degree to get into jobs, but if you have the qualifications and you start at the bottom, you'll soon be noticed and be given the opportunity to further your career.