Changing Careers

Kate
Sleeth

The National Postdoctoral Association Meeting 2011

I am an individual member of the National Postdoctoral Association (NPA) (https://www.nationalpostdoc.org/),which holds annual meetings in order to foster innovation, networking, and collaboration.  This year was the 9th annual meeting and was hosted at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) O...


Farhan
Ahmad

So What Are You Going To Do With That? : Part 1

The title of this blog series is taken from a book authored by Drs. Susan Basalla and Maggie Debelius. It is a real-time depiction of my thought process and actions towards selecting a potential career after PhD, more specifically ACADEMIC vs. NON-ACADEMIC positions. I would not be able to give you ...


Xiaoli
Du

Make Your Dream Come True

Different people have different views on the life of being a postdoctoral fellow.  Some people consider it as a very rare opportunity to develop their ability to become an independent member of faculty in the future.  Some people take the advantage of the fellowship to dig out what they re...


William
Johnson

Transitions from Academia to THE REAL WORLD

As I was winding down my Ph.D. studies, I found it necessary to start looking for employment.  Since the economy had hit an all time low in Michigan in 2006-2007 due to auto industry decline and overall recession, I found it necessary to start looking about 1/2 year to 1 year before my Ph.D. de...


Clement
Weinberger

Looking for a change?

I was. I had too. I was an assistant prof. teaching stimulating courses to good students. We passed some good times in the classroom, lunchroom and, of course, the local bars. There were even a couple of grad students whose research was working out. What’s wrong with this picture? Teaching is grea...


Matthew
Hight

Finding the Right Career Path

I can’t think of a witty one-liner to start off my first blog entry, so I’ll just skip that part and jump right into things. I received my BS degree in chemistry and, like most undergraduates, was unsure of what to do after college. I was unsure of the job market and of what career path I wa...


Randall
Ribaudo

Careers in Industry - It's really NOT the “Dark Side”

I'm struck by some of the postings in the blogosphere in which postdocs rail against peers who choose to pursue non-academic careers.  The reasoning typically goes something like “if you're not going to pursue research, then you shouldn't get a PhD.  You shouldn't take up that slot....


Lisa
Sproul Hoverman

Volunteer Researchers Needed and Appreciated!

“Wherever a man turns he can find someone who needs him.”  ~Albert Schweitzer With a great background in biology or biomedical research, you landed a great job in consulting, advising, teaching, writing, or advocating!  However, you have to admit, in the evenings and on the weeken...


Todd
Pihl

The Great Wall of Experience

As a number of the bloggers here have noticed, one of the biggest obstacles that postdocs face in moving into the commercial world is the dreaded “3-5 years of business experience” requirement seen in so many ads.  Many times, it seems as if there are no entry-level positions at all!&nb...


Peggy
McKee

Building Your Brand for a Career Change

Simply put, your personal brand is what people think of you.  It’s the image you project to others, and it’s how they distinguish you from everyone else, professionally.  It’s also how people who don’t know you can find you and evaluate whether or not they want to work with, r...