Career Development for Scientists

For those you who, like me, are at work on this last-day-most-people-are-taking-off, you’re probably finding it rather quiet. A few people are at work, either to do specific tasks or because they’re saving vacation for another time. It doesn’t feel like a work day, so not much “real” work is getting done.

This is a great day, however, to knock off those nagging tasks that should only take a few minutes, and you’ve been leaving “until you had time”. Everyone has a to do list, and all sorts of things get added. However, some seem to linker forever, not getting done but not getting deleted. Today is the day! Either do them, or decide they’re not worth doing and delete them from the list. Clean out your to do list, freeing yourself from all the guilt of seeing them on there every day. Free your mental energy for things that matter to you, and let go of things that would be nice but aren’t necessary. Perhaps the reasons you wanted to do something no longer exist. Perhaps a particular task has been made irrelevant by other developments. Perhaps you’ve moved in a new direction, and should be doing something different instead. Perhaps others add things to your list when you’re not looking (I know this happens to me!).

Take the time to examine each item on your to do list, and either make progress on it or delete it. Go through the piles of “papers to be dealt with” on your desk, and file, recycle, or address each one. If you get yourself in the right mood, you can get quite ruthless and get a lot done.

Then you can go back to work next Monday, when the New Year really begins, with fresh energy and a well-ordered list of things you really need to do.

Career Development in Bioengineering and Biotechnology (Series in Biomedical Engineering)
Edited by Guruprasad Madhavan, Barbara Oakley, Luis Kun

The more I learn, the more I realize there is to learn. That became very clear to me as I read through this book. I knew a little about biotechnology, and thought bioengineering was a somewhat related field. But the more I got into this book, the more I realized I know very little about these fields, and there is a whole new, fascinating world out there.

The book begins with some introductory material, defining the various fields, discussing the educational systems around the world, and employment trends and outlook. This provides a nice background for those unfamiliar with the field.

Thee next two sections of the book (comprising almost 30 chapters), are each written by a different person, who talk about their own career paths. They start with very traditional careers such as university professors, research and intellectual property law, then move into “innovative alternative careers” that span the range from healthcare to finance to regulatory affairs to writing nonfiction books (”best thought of as a supplement to your career”) to fashion design! Each chapter includes some personal and some general information, but the ratio of these two varies widely.

The next section of the book deals with “career development and success strategies”. The information in this section applies not only to bioengineering and biotechnology, but really to any kind of scientific career. Futurists talk about what kinds of engineers will be needed - not just topical specialties, but changes in types of thinking and lifelong learning.

The final section is perhaps the most unusual. These 33 chapters talk about “growth and responsibility beyond the profession”. Topics include eliminating hunger, gender equality, sustainable energy, and affordable and accessible energy. While initially surprising to find such a significant portion of a career book devoted to social and humanitarian issues, a large part of biotechnology is about improving people’s lives. There are many predictions about how the world will change, and how careers and technology will have to change to adapt to it. Even more than the preceding section, the discussion of how to use your professional career to improve the world around you applies not only to scientists, but to virtually all careers.

I very much liked the international flavor of the book - not only are the chapter authors from all over the world, but many chapters include discussion of educational opportunities all over the world, and the differences in careers in various countries.

While some chapters are definitely better than others, it’s probably a necessary result of the wide range of experiences and opinions covered. The mixture of data and personal experiences provides a nice balance, making the book both interesting and informative. For those starting out in these fields, or students considering this career path, this volume will provide some new ideas of where they could take their careers.

Most bloggers are posting end of year articles talking about the best posts of the past year. I am going to buck the trend, and write about some things you can do to make yourself happy (or happier) in the new year. As ons of my friends told her children over break “I am not responsible for your happiness - only you can do that.”

So what can you do?

First, decide to be happy. Focus on the good things around you. Pause to smell the pine trees, marvel at the beauty in sunshine on a leaf, pet your rabbit. Even if you don’t feel like it, smile as those you pass and try to look for the positive aspects of events. Develop real friendships, which you can use to celebrate successes, and talk through hard times. If it helps, keep a “happiness journal” and write down good things, or send thank you notes to people who have done something you find valuable.

Strive for more - set meaningful goals for yourself. Try to learn something new, start volunteering on a regular basis, teach something to others. Don’t just exist, but live to the fullest, and take advantage of all your expertise and resources. But make your goals meaningful to you - not just “earn more money” or “buy a boat like Joe has”. Studies have shown that more money does not make you happier, and continually comparing yourself to others is not a good long-term strategy. One of my favorite studies compared people who won the lottery and people who became paralyzed, one year after the event. Their happiness levels were identical - their expectations adjusted to meet their circumstances.

Take initiative at work - suggest improvements, take on new tasks and new responsibilities that will allow you to grow professionally. Help and/or teach others at work - not only will you learn more when you have to teach someone else, but you’ll feel better about yourself for giving back.

Finally, don’t mope around in the same place, but move, exercise, and change your surroundings. Just taking your laptop from your office to the local coffee shop to work for awhile can give you a new perspective on problems - not to mention letting you avoid interruptions.

So you can be happier - just decide to be, and make small steps each day to savor the moments. Eventually, all those little changes will add up to a big increase in your happiness!

I cam across this quote in an email this morning, and it really resonated with me:

“It’s a little like wrestling a gorilla. You don’t quit when you’re tired. You quit when the gorilla is tired.”
~ Robert Strauss

Next time I’m tired of my project, or of prospecting for the next contract, I hope I will remember this one.

One of the biggest things that gets in people’s way when they have career problems is their own ego. Often people are embarrassed by the fact that they were laid off, and so don’t tell anyone and try to find a new position all on their own. This rarely works - you can’t cover nearly as much ground all by yourself as you can when you have a wide network of colleagues and friends looking out for you as well. Talking to other people is the single best thing you can do to jump-start your job search.

Even people who are employed have trouble asking for help. You may have a problem with a colleague, be wondering about a new career direction, or be debating what new skills would be worthwhile to acquire. In some cases, it may not be wise to discuss these issues with people at work.

So where do you go for help? If you’re a chemist, you can use the American Chemical Society’s career consultant program, and search for a volunteer who is ready, willing and able to listen to your concerns and offer impartial advice and guidance.

If you’re not an ACS member, you can use a service like MentorNet to find a neutral outsider who will serve as a sounding board. It’s amazing how many people are out there willing to help you. All you have to do is ask……

In your grandfather’s day, people took a long term view of their career. They were going to stay with the same company for their whole lifetime, slowly progressing to their ultimate goal, the leisure of retirement. What they did on a daily basis, or even which promotion they got next, was not all that important.

Today, times have changed. Everywhere there is pressure for the short term, quick gain, such as changing jobs often for more money, new challenges, or just to get away from a difficult coworker. However, rapid job hopping often leaves people priced out of the market, and can leave potential employers wondering about stability and the wisdom of investing time and training in someone who may not stick around very long.

In the best of all possible worlds, you should be looking at your career in the short, medium and long term. What do I need to do today, this week, to make the most of my present circumstances? What about over the next 3-6 months? Am I on the path that is going to take me to where I want to be 5 or 10 years from now? It’s much easier to make small corrections early, and put yourself on a trajectory that will get you where you want to go.

I recently received an advertisement for a couple of positions that included the following information:

“The current management group has established a low-cost, vertically-integrated manufacturing platform in China…..
…..Both opportunities require the successful candidate to be based in China for the initial period, converting to a home office in North America once overseas operations are settled…”

While I have seen many jobs that require international travel, this is the first one I’ve seen where the company is looking to hire someone and immediately send them overseas for an extended period of time. Even after the initial posting is over, I’m sure the position will require frequent travel back and forth to keep an eye on things.

Some people would view this as a great adventure, others would not even consider moving away from their home. For those who would consider it, this new world order certainly allows you to look for jobs in many more places than even before - literally all over the world!

I’m seeing a lot of blog postings lately on networking. With all the bad economic news, people are starting to realize that it really is other people who can help them, and meeting other people is called “networking”. I saw a great post the other day that said The worst thing about networking is the word itself“, and I agree with her. Everyone is constantly meeting new people - some you will quickly forget, others may become good friends over the course of time. “Networking” is no more than making sure

Purely professional online networking, Linkedin is the undisputed leader. Jason Alba just published a new version of his book I’m on LinkedIn — Now What?. If you’re not using LinkedIn, or not using it effectively, this inexpensive, quickly read book will get you started. You will learn not only how to improve your own profile and make yourself more “findable”, but how to use the new features and searches to connect to people who can help your career.

I’m also seeing more people, and more different kinds of people, on social networking groups like Facebook. Facebook is almost completely a social site, full of games, interaction, and fun. While it can be a way to deepen a connection with a professional colleague, it can be difficult to decide exactly what, and how much, to share.

And as great as electronic networking tools can be, they are not a substitute for meeting actual people in person, spending time with them, and finding things you have in common. That is what causes real connections, makes you remember them, and might make them remember you.

So make time to have coffee with a friend, lunch with a colleague, or contact an old employer just to catch up. You never know when a casual contact will provide you with a valuable nugget of information, or even better, will give you the chance to help someone else out. Reach out now, when you don’t need anything, and your contacts will be more willing to take your calls when you do need something.

Penelope Trunk blogged today about the fact that there is no job shortage for young people. She cites data that jobs for low-level candidates are increasing, there are plenty of entry-level jobs and college grads are doing fine in today’s market. This is all good news, and somewhat to be expected from the demographics of a workplace used to a huge number of baby boomers who are now moving out of those entry level positions.

The flip side is, according to her, Fox News reported that the unemployment rate for people over 50 is nearing 50%. I’m sure a lot of that number is voluntary - many people over 50 have retired and don’t want to work, and I’m sure they were included to make that number bigger.

So, the news is not as bad as it appears for either young or old workers. However, when looking at statistics, the only number that really matters is the one that affects you - is your personal employment rate 100% or 0%? (IOW, do you have a job or not?) Or maybe you’re 75% - you have a job, but don’t love it, and therefore aren’t working to your full potential. This is dangerous, since a lack of enthusiasm and productivity is liable to be notice by your superiors, and your personal employment number may drop to 0%.

So the good news is there are jobs out there, the bad news is they may not be the kind of jobs you want. This is where that creativity comes in. What is it you really want to do, and can do? Not just what have you been doing, and where is the next logical step, but what other sorts of things can you do? Can you bring in skills and experiences from hobbies or volunteer work to fill in gaps in your professional experience? Can you apply your current knowledge, skills and abilities to a whole new field?

Be thankful for the things you have - family, friends, home, job…..but also the experiences and knowledge you have gained. Even if painfully gained, you have learned a lot and will not make the same mistakes again (you’ll make new ones!). You should be thankful for everything you have and have gone through, because that is what has made you the person you are today.

Are you happy with the person you are today? I bet you’re happy with some parts, but perhaps there are areas in which you’d like to improve. Are you happy with your career path? Again, probably some parts are good, and some parts are bad. Spend today being thankful for the parts that are good, identifying areas for improvement, and resolving to make those improvements.

Over the next few weeks, you can WRITE DOWN specific actions you are going to take, WITH DEADLINES, to work on these areas. The simple act of writing down specific, do-able tasks will make it more likely that you will do them. If you are really serious about change, find a “change buddy” - someone you’ll check in with on a regular basis, to update them on your progress. It may be a monthly lunch, a weekly phone call or email…just as long as it’s regularly scheduled. I’m constantly amazed at the amount of work that gets done immediately before a meeting - just because people don’t want to go in and say “I haven’t done anything since last time”. So if you set up a system whereby you are going to have to report your progress, you are much more likely to actually make progress.

Try it! I did. I decided I wanted to blog more regularly, so put a reminder into my electronic calendar. That worked okay, except if I ignored the reminder for a few hours it went away. I found if I made it a “To Do” item, it sat on the list and mocked me until I actually wrote a post, and then could change the due date to something in the future. Just that little electronic nag was enough to move me from good intention to actual action.