ReSearch

A Career Guide for Scientists

Teresa M. Evans, Natalie Lundsteen, Nathan L. Vanderford

• Publisher: Academic Press
• Year: 2017
• ISBN:
  9780128043684
• Topic: Personal Development
• Subtopic: Careers

ReSearch: A Career Guide for Scientists is a career planning guide and practical tool for graduate students and postdocs. This book provides step-by-step processes for the assessment of career goals and the actions that can be taken in order to achieve them. ReSearch includes chapters on the basics of career planning, determining unique selling points, and navigating work-life concerns.

This book also includes narratives from a number of perspectives to showcase the variety of career options available. ReSearch is written by experts with inside knowledge of how to effectively leverage skills in order to take that next step in your career, whether you are a recent graduate or are interested in transitioning into something new. This book is also a valuable resource for advisors and careers counselors who mentor students and postdocs about their career plans.

• Fills the knowledge gap in career planning practices for students and early career researchers in the STEM fields, particularly those in the sciences
• Provides global perspectives on seeking career opportunities outside of the United States
• Includes strategies for how to market your transferable skill sets, network, and maximize informational interviews
• Includes chapters on the basics of career planning, determining unique selling points, and navigating work-life concerns

Section 1

Introduction

Outline

Chapter 1. Introduction

Chapter 2. Common Career Characters

Chapter 1

Introduction

We, the authors of ReSearch: A career guide for scientists, are passionate about ensuring that graduate students and postdoctoral fellows are afforded the opportunity and resources required to pursue the careers of their choice. It is our goal to provide insights that will guide individuals on their career journeys in a way that is clear, concise, and appropriate for science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) professionals. We are aware that some of our readers may have already gone through one, two, and even three or more career searches to find themselves in the positions that they currently have. Therefore, we have designed this book as a guide for our readers as they research their next career transition.

Throughout the book our readers will find activities to catalyze their career planning, expert insights from STEM professionals in a variety of careers, and key chapter takeaways designed to ensure that ReSearch is a valuable resource that our readers return to throughout their careers.

We hope that you enjoy this book as much as we have enjoyed collaborating to create it. Please reach out to us with questions, via social media, and share this book with others. It is our hope, and that of our contributors, that the resources throughout this book will be utilized by graduate students and postdoctoral fellows far and wide.

Chapter 2

Common Career Characters

Teresa M. Evans

Abstract

As a scientist you have been taught the fundamental skills to research and plan for your career path. It is possible to over research and plan so remember to REFLECT regularly on your career plan. In this chapter, we outline the three most common types of trainee career planners: the optimized observer—this is the trainee who is always observing and exploring options, learning from the experiences along the way, and managing the journey accordingly; the midway modifier—these individuals have a clear and thought-out plan for their career from the beginning; the conclusion changer—these men and women experience an unforeseen whammy near the journey's end that causes a need for the plan to be changed.

Keywords

Career path; Change; Plan; Research; Skills; Transitions

Chapter Takeaways:

• As a scientist you have been taught the fundamental skills to research and plan for your career path.

• It is possible to overresearch and plan so remember to REFLECT regularly on your career plan.

• In this chapter, we outline the three most common types of trainee career planners:

   • The optimized observer: This is the trainee who is always observing and exploring options, learning from the experiences along the way, and managing the journey accordingly.

   • The midway modifier: These individuals have a clear and thought-out plan for their career from the beginning.

   • The conclusion changer: Our final example is the conclusion changer. These ladies and gentlemen experience an unforeseen whammy near the journey’s end that causes a need for the plan to be changed.

Just as we know that every fingerprint is unique, it is also true in career planning that every career path is unlike any other. It is important to understand that there is no “one-size-fits-all” protocol for devising a successful career path. There can be many variables that impact a journey just as there are variables that impact our data collection processes within the laboratory. For example, the economic landscape has impacted the way that we view research and funding, industry development, and downturns have shifted the needs of the job market, and, more fundamentally, each of us have personal variables that impact where our career path may lead.

As scientists we are trained to manage entropy and identify variables within the lab. We are here to tell you that these same skills will be fundamental to the very existence of your future career. It is also notable to consider that the process for researching career paths and developing skills and knowledge to build a career can spin out of control. Let’s consider a student, Stan, who attends every career development workshop offered at his university, conducts countless informational interviews, and is left with nothing but the realization that there is no one prescription for the perfect career path. This feeling can be a lot to handle. Stan, if you are reading this, it is going to be okay. Take a step back from your career research extravaganza! It is time to reflect. We are here to teach you how to not only collect useful career planning information but also teach you how to reflect on what you find and apply it to your choices. We’ll unwrap this information in future chapters.

Scientists are unusual adults. Many of us turn out to be career learners in many regards. Many of us also have little experience working in “the real world.” And for the sake of this discussion, working at the mall does not count because that is likely not the work experience that will be useful for you to obtain your dream job. While we are trained specialists in our areas of research, it is rare for individuals, in their 20s and 30s to not have had any experience in the professional workplace. Just take one look at your Facebook feed, and if you are like us, it is clear…those friends who left undergrad for an industry position are in a different place than you…just accept it now but know that your time is coming! Unlike those fellow undergrad students on Facebook, your summers have been spent in the lab working under sometimes quite extreme pressure rather than interning and learning about various professions and work cultures as they might have done. This is further complicated by the fact that the outside world also has a very limited understanding about what goes on inside the depths of the laboratories within the Ivory Tower. For these reasons, we will also teach you how to translate and sell your skills to the outside world in a way that is appropriate for any career path you might choose.

Now, let’s shift gears a bit. For the purpose of this scenario, imagine that you are embarking on the longest, toughest, and the most challenging journey of your life. Imagine that this journey at times can be quite pleasant and rewarding but at other times can be down right miserable. Oh, and when you reach what you think is the end of the journey and you see the light at the end of the tunnel, you can only enjoy it for a moment before you realize that the light is a freight train screaming toward you faster than you can get out of the way. Would you go on that journey? Well, the truth is that many of you are already on this journey but you might not yet be aware of what is ahead of you. Now, reread the scenario and think about it as if the journey is analogous to your research training and the train represents the next step in your career. This is the true story of the student who does not plan for their career until they see the light at the end of the tunnel. You need to plan for your career long before you see that light so that the train does not slap you in the face.

As scientists and career guidance professionals, we have observed that there are three common types of trainee career planners as outlined below. Read these and consider where you might fit or whom you might know in each of these areas:

The optimized observer: This is the trainee who is always observing and exploring options, learning from the experiences along the way, and managing the journey accordingly. Beware if this is you. Remember Stan? He is an optimized observer as well, but when not controlled, his observing distracts him and makes his career planning hard to focus. If managed properly, this is the ideal way to go about your career journey. Always being aware of your options by attending diverse events and workshops, networking in multiple communities, and reflecting often on what you have learned and by starting early.

The midway modifier: These individuals have a clear and thought-out plan for their career from the beginning. They are focused on their career destination until a mid-journey event (personal or otherwise) causes the need to modify their career plan. These individuals often worry that they are leaving something behind. For example, Sandy is a midway modifier who has decided to leave basic bench science for a teaching job at an undergraduate institution to accommodate her partner’s career. This career is notable in its own right, but Sandy worries that this decision will cause her to miss bench research in a large research university and to be viewed by her colleagues unfavorably. It is our goal to help the midway modifiers, like Sandy, be confident in their decisions. We want you to know that it is okay to focus on yourself and your family. You have to come to terms with the fact that it is your life and you only live it once!

The conclusion changer: Our final example is the conclusion changer. These ladies and gentlemen experience an unforeseen whammy near the journey’s end that causes a need for the plan to be changed. The one that most often comes to mind is the story of Christine. She realized that continued research training was just not for her as she was writing her dissertation. If this is you, you are late to the planning, of course, and that train is coming really fast but we are here to help you. I would suggest you go straight to Chapter 18 and read our emergency plan.

We share with you these three character types in hope that you can see yourself in one of them and then start to modify your behavior accordingly as you read through the following chapters of this book. We also know that these are not one size fits all descriptions but rather generalizable categories to get you to start thinking about how your actions and the actions of those around you have and will affect your career planning process. As a scientist, you have already chosen to embark on a path that would require you to constantly ask questions and to follow your curiosities. Be assured that career planning is no different. Go forth and follow your curiosities, as we want nothing more than to help you prepare for a future career that will continue to provide you with that excitement for years to come.

Section 2

Understanding the Landscape of Your Challenges and Choices

Outline

Chapter 3. Realities of the Job Market: Charting Your Career Path

Chapter 4. Understanding the Career Game: Figuring Out “the Rules” of Career Planning and Getting Motivated to Plan for a Successful Career

Chapter 3

Realities o...

Table of contents

• Cover image
• Title page
• Table of Contents
• Copyright
• About the Authors
• Acknowledgements
• Section 1. Introduction
• Section 2. Understanding the Landscape of Your Challenges and Choices
• Section 3. Taking Care of Yourself
• Section 4. Managing Your Career Development
• Section 5. Finding a Job
• Section 6. Quick Tips, Summary and Conclusion
• Index