But computer scientists wanting to apply their skills in the biological arena are rare. They can usually make a great living in IT, and often have little desire to switch to bioinformatics, where they'd have to learn a set of new skills. In practice, most bioinformatics programming jobs are filled by biologists who have taken specialist qualifications, such as an MSc or PhD in bioinformatics or biological computing. Another area of bioinformatics that requires sound computing knowledge is curating databases. Curators need a broad know-ledge of biology, but computing experience is also useful.
Biologists come into their own when it comes to using software to find out new things.
You have to be an expert in the field of biology you are working in, preferably to at least MSc level, as well as comfortable using the software. You might be scanning genome sequences, modelling protein-protein interactions, looking for potential drug targets or working on 3D imaging of the brain. There is work in academia, in research institutes and in industry. But the big recruiters in industry have traditionally been big pharmaceuticals companies, such as GlaxoWellcome, Smith-Kline Beecham, or AstraZeneca, but now smaller companies are getting in on the act, as well as other biotech companies, for example those involved in agricultural applications, industrial organisms or personal care products. Although the first draft of the human genome has been announced, the sequence itself is only the beginning.