I want to become a genetic engineer? Should I sit an OP?

I'm in the United States, so I can't help you with which specific courses are available to you in Australia. However, I went to university here and got a degree in biochemistry and molecular biology, and I specialize in genetics, so I have a few broad recommendations for you. In addition to biology, make sure you take chemistry. It will be very important for complicated subjects like genetic engineering to have a good knowledge of chemistry. A little physics is good, too. I was required to take physics, and while I don't use it all the time, it helps to give you a better understanding of the things you learn in advanced biology and chemistry. You'll also eventually need some calculus, in order to understand some of the more advanced chemistry. If there are any courses that give you hands-on experience in a lab, that's also important. Genetic engineering is performed almost entirely on a lab bench, so the soon that you start to learn good lab techniques the better off you'll be. It's an incredibly interesting career, and I highly recommend that you follow your dream! Grade 10 is when I decided that I wanted to work with genetics, too. I'm 24 now, out of university for 2 years and I have a wonderful career as a researcher in a lab. I hope someone else can help you with specific courses available in Australia.

I'm in the United States, so I can't help you with which specific courses are available to you in Australia. However, I went to university here and got a degree in biochemistry and molecular biology, and I specialize in genetics, so I have a few broad recommendations for you. In addition to biology, make sure you take chemistry. It will be very important for complicated subjects like genetic engineering to have a good knowledge of chemistry. A little physics is good, too. I was required to take physics, and while I don't use it all the time, it helps to give you a better understanding of the things you learn in advanced biology and chemistry. You'll also eventually need some calculus, in order to understand some of the more advanced chemistry. If there are any courses that give you hands-on experience in a lab, that's also important. Genetic engineering is performed almost entirely on a lab bench, so the soon that you start to learn good lab techniques the better off you'll be. It's an incredibly interesting career, and I highly recommend that you follow your dream! Grade 10 is when I decided that I wanted to work with genetics, too. I'm 24 now, out of university for 2 years and I have a wonderful career as a researcher in a lab. I hope someone else can help you with specific courses available in Australia.

Genetic engineering etc is not a real stable career in Australia. Unless you are a Lab head of Department, you may find the job market only keeps you in it for 10 years or so (then they hire more junior people). By all means go for it but it is not a long term career here. You will need to go to a uni that has a B.Biotech and then you may have to do aTAFE diploma afterwards or a couple of private courses (in sequencing etc - unis no longer give you practical experience in these areas). To be a lab rat (doing what you are told) you may get away with not having an honours degree but only if you are lucky. Only 10 or so entry level positions a year per state come up that are no filled in-house (and there are about 200-300 graduates of biotech per state per year). If you go the PhD route the jobs become more specialised - and if the team likes you, they will design the job specifically so that you have all the qualifications/experience needed - otherwise you will be stuck with a 3 year per job cycle.