Career Paths

Lamar
Blackwell

First year on the job: Making a good impression

It has been said that the first 90 days are particularly important in making a good impression on your manager.  The closer your skill set matches the job tasks, the easier this will be.  However, there are other things that you can do to get your new job off to a good start.


Michael
Salgaller

Top 10 Biotech Jobs (#10-7) – Positioning Yourself

Recently, Genetic Engineering News published a list of what they believe will be the top 10 biotech jobs most in demand over the next decade. For those looking for moving beyond the bench, starting their science career, or just looking for a change, the list proposes where the likeliest landing spot...


Sandlin
Seguin

Jobs in Curriculum Development

In the new year, my job title changed from eLearning Specialist to eLearning Developer. My boss delivered this news with some hand waving about internal alignments, and my day to day work hasn’t changed. When I applied for my job as an eLearning Specialist, I wasn’t sure that I would make the cu...


Holly
Brevig

Fellowships: Making lemonade from lemons

There are a number of fellowships and internships out there for PhDs to explore career options. There are teaching fellowships (e.g., Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellowship), science policy fellowships (e.g., Research American Science Policy), regulatory and medical writing (e.g., Cato Research Fello...


Tom
Ruginis

Talking to scientists can be painful

Three months after leaving the lab and ditching my PhD program, I found a job as a sales rep. I became that person who knocks on your lab door, interrupts your day, and asks you to buy lab supplies. The first year was great. My income doubled from that of a grad student, my lifestyle became more ...


Andrea
Habura

Literature Review

If you’re trying to make your products better, it’s nice when your customers almost have to fill out a user feedback form. “Publish or perish” is nothing but upside if you want to figure out what scientists are doing in the lab. One of the things we do here at my scientific-instruments co...


Judy
Lytle

For-Profit, Non-Profit, & Government Sectors

Once I was conferred my doctorate, you could have clocked my departure from academia with a stopwatch. That’s not to say that there’s anything wrong with academia; it’s just not my cup of joe. In considering the “why” of the career decisions I’ve made, I’ve come to the conclusion ...


Renda
Hawwa

Are you using your PhD?

With so many options for PhD scientists these days, it is easy to feel like taking certain career paths means you won’t be “using your PhD”. As anyone who gets their Doctorate comes to realize, there are many ways it will be used throughout life.Before starting graduate school, I had a BS...


Holly
Brevig

Day to Day Life

So what’s it like working outside of lab?  Let’s start with my experience working in lab as a graduate student.  I stood for long periods of time, and moved around a lot, from working under the hood, to the cell culture room, and maybe then to another building to use a specialized piec...


Maida
Taylor

Crime and Punishment: Counterfeit drugs

The pharmaceutical supply and distribution chain is increasing vulnerable to business and criminal abuses. On the micro level, there is a need to police abuse of prescription drugs through prescribing “pill mills.” On a macro level, counterfeit drugs jeopardize our ability to provide treatment t...