In parts one and two of this mini-series, I explained how to not get overwhelmed by the questions or doubts about your career path, and I provided tips and tricks on figuring out the path(s) that best fit you. An important point to keep in mind during this process is that your own career path is likely to take some unexpected twists and turns over time. Few people have “forever jobs” these days, and most people end up with career paths that are far from linear. This, I think, is important to realize as you go through this process: what may seem right for you today may change in the future depending on your experiences. At first, this may seem to make our situation even more daunting: how are we ever going to find THE right job for you? But instead, consider that there are many jobs that will be great fits for you. Even if you can’t find “the” perfect opportunity, you can feel less pressure if you aim for jobs that align well with the values and skills you identified before (see part 1). Of course, this is a big decision, but know that you won’t be tied forever to the path you choose now.
It is ok to change your career path if an exciting opportunity comes along, or if you want to try something new. For example, over the last 5 years, my idea of “the perfect job” changed several times, ranging from PI over science advocate and science writer to team science coordinator. Right now, I am an assistant professor in Genetics and Team Science at Baylor College of Medicine, where I lead the RE-JOIN consortium’s coordination center. This is quite a mouthful, but what it comes down to is that I get to combine elements of each of my “ideal career paths” into one position. While I was fortunate to be offered a position to lead team science projects, the time I spent developing myself as a scientist, open science advocate, communicator, and project manager helped make me the best candidate for this job. But, more importantly, my self-exploration and development process also showed me that this type of job would really fit well with my skills and values. So, the time and effort you put into developing yourself is never in vain, and it is important to keep an open and flexible mind as you go through your exploration process.
Acquiring new skills
As you discover career paths that seem to fit your needs and goals, you may realize that you lack some essential skills and/or experience for this line of work. Don’t fret. Remember that you have been teaching yourself new techniques and knowledge all throughout your academic career. This is not all that different; you are just adding new cards (skills) to the deck you have been building your entire life. But, your go-to search places (PubMed, protocols.io, PhD friend in the lab next over) will only get you so far. For this part of your journey, you will need to explore new platforms and venues.
There are several ways for you to gain the knowledge you need to transform yourself into a competitive candidate. LinkedIn is a great place for you to explore new directions and identify gaps in your CV. If you can, sign up for LinkedIn Premium (or take advantage of their 1-month free trial): you will likely find courses on LinkedIn learning that will fill (some of) these gaps. Other platforms that offer more in-depth training are Coursera, DataQuest, and others. These platforms offer great tools to start adding to your deck of cards. But, in some cases, you may need to invest more time and effort and enroll in a Master program on the subject. For example, if you are trained as a wet-lab researcher and want to move into a career in bioinformatics or data science, you will likely have to take formal training on this topic. How do you find out what depth of knowledge is needed for a particular career transformation and where to best obtain that knowledge? Ask others who have made a similar shift (see part 2 of the series) and/or check if your institution has a student club related to the career (eg Medical Science Liaison club, data science club, science communication, etc).
There are also different venues for you to explore if you want to gain more practical experiences. First, you should check with your institution’s career development center. They may know of existing volunteering, internship, or fellowship opportunities that you can apply for. For example, if you are interested in teaching, your career development center may know of nearby schools or colleges that are looking for adjuncts. Even if no opportunities exist in the field you are pursuing, your school’s experienced career advisors can likely guide you through the process of how to find or create an opportunity that fits your needs. I also highly recommend getting in touch with your professional organization or society. Many of them offer opportunities for early career researchers to get involved with training programs to gain experience in science communication, science policy, project management, and many others. As a postdoctoral fellow, I joined the Genetics Society of America (GSA)’s early career leadership program and eLife’s community ambassador’s program. Both programs opened a lot of new doors for me: I learned how to write, how to coordinate events, how to develop and run workshops, and how to advocate for change. Most importantly, I got to know a ton of like-minded early career scientists who I still call friends to this day. Are you looking for some other examples? Try browsing through the websites of FASEB, the American Society of Human Genetics, the American Association of Immunologists, the company of biologists, or take a look at the opportunities on ecrCentral. This list is far from exhaustive, so go out and explore!
We are stronger together
Going through the entire career exploration process takes time and can be quite an emotional roller coaster. One thing that makes it easier is to talk to friends, peers, and mentors about it. Their perspective will differ from yours, and they can help you identify opportunities and paths you didn’t realize exist. Another helpful avenue is a peer mentoring group. Getting together on a regular basis to talk about your career exploration with peers who are going through the same process can feel incredibly freeing (I am not alone!), can accelerate your search process (others in the group may have already explored your path of interest and share their findings) and helps provide accountability so you continue to make progress. Do you want to start your own peer mentoring group, but don’t know where to start? Take a look at this fantastic 3-part master class by Joanne Kamens.
Rinse, repeat
As you explore, you will likely discover that a career path you thought would be a great match for you actually isn’t. Remember to give it a positive spin: you added new cards to your deck of skills and knowledge, and now you know you would like to do something different. This is the start of a new round of self-exploration, but you have done this before and you know how to get through it. I guarantee that one day, in the not-so-distant future, you will realize that every step of your path will have contributed to who you are today, and the different skills you learned will be useful in ways you might not have anticipated. So, keep your chin up. You are creating your own path, and no matter the twists and turns ahead, you will come to see it is the right one!
Photo by Suzanne D. Williams on Unsplash
About the author: Nele Haelterman is a developmental biologist and geneticist in heart and soul, and is a science editor with The Scientist's Creative Services Team. She is also a former eLife Ambassador with a drive to positively impact her immediate environment and the scientific community as a whole. Follow Nele on Twitter or LinkedIn.
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