This pattern is common. Anecdotally, I think the majority of people trained in bioinformatics end up working full-time in standard software engineering.

I think this is starting to change. Next-generation sequencers and other imaging devices are causing more wet labs to produce massive amounts of data – which is increasing the number of companies hiring for bioinformatics roles.

Yup, ain't that just how it goes. I'll probably make the leap soon myself sometime this year, and I'm not looking forward to playing "skill-tetris" with recruiters.

I wouldn't worry. Research really sets apart new grads. Everyone else got a degree too, but doing cool research is usually a good conversation starter during interviews!