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For most graduate students, the list of potential careers runs something like this:
But the truth is that there are other, less talked-about careers that can be a perfect fit for scientists who may love learning but not working at the bench.
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When you’re a graduate student, your conception of ‘industry’ has a lot in common with your understanding of a black-hole.
First, you’ve been told it’s a scary and unpredictable place. (“Did you know they can just change your project or fire you at will?”)
Second, it’s a one-way trip. (“Once you step off the tenure track, there’s no going back!”)
And finally, information doesn’t escape its gravitational pull. You get plenty of visits and seminars from academic postdocs and PIs, but how many times has your department invited an industry scientist?
This week on the show, we escape the industry event-horizon by interviewing three very real, and very successful PhDs currently working at 23andMe.
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But I have no skills! At least no skills employers would be interested in!
As a career counselor, Melanie Sinche heard grad students and postdocs voice this concern nearly every day. She looked at these talented scholars and saw the ability to think critically, analyze data, and solve problems. To her eye, these were transferable skills very much in demand outside the research lab. Why couldn’t the students see it?
“I felt frustrated by that comment, and motivated to conduct a research study around skill development. I would argue that scientific training, by its very nature, lends itself to the development of LOTS of skills.”
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If you’re an academic scientist, applying for an industry job is a bit like traveling to a foreign country.
First, there is paperwork.
Will they accept your Curriculum Vitae as is, or do you need to crunch it down into a résumé? And how on earth do you get through the screening software that filters through the 1000+ applications?
Next, there’s the language barrier.
You’ll need to communicate your qualifications in an interview that may last just a few minutes. You might describe a key experiment you designed with six controls and twelve replicates, but what the interviewer needs to hear is that you have experience in ‘quality control and quality assurance.’ Don’t expect them to make the translation.
Last, there can be culture shock when you actually get the job and start to work. There are aspects of your academic training that you will need to un-learn if you want to be successful. You can either begin the job with a sensitivity to these new cultural norms, or you can learn them the hard way…
This week, we talk with a scientist who acts as travel guide for academics who want to make the leap into industry.
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Maybe you’re in love with science, but you just can’t imagine your life as a PI. And maybe you’ve had a string of experiments fail and you’re just ready to put the entire ‘lab thing’ behind you.
You have a choice – you could leave academia and try to find your way in industry, publishing or some other career. Or you could try to revive your research in the hope that lab life will eventually improve.
But how do you know which choice is right for you?
What happens if you make a mistake?