Career Development for Scientists

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!

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.