Editorial pubs.acs.org/ac
Career Advice for Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Fellows
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projects work, whereas other individuals seem to be unlucky because their projects fail. In many cases, success is directly related to the art of experimental design and problem resolution. Identify successful individuals as role models, determine how they select projects and solve scientific questions and then cultivate your problem solving skills accordingly. This is critical for any future career path. One question I ask every person who joins my group is what do they enjoy about science? For example, if you are interested in a faculty position and most like performing research in the lab, this is a good start. However, most faculty do not spend most of their time in the lab. Professors teach, write, edit, and manage as much as they perform research. I like to compare a professor’s job as being somewhat akin to running a small company; your success depends on a range of skills: research, writing, managing, teaching, presenting, and time management. These are the skills to learn while in graduate school, or if not, make them goals during your postdoctoral associate training. Let me highlight one crucial skill: writing. You need to write well, as your success depends on it. I mention this to many aspiring scientists and when they tell me that they can write, they use the same tone they might use when stating they need to have a tooth pulledsomething they would do as a last resort. Your professional growth depends on the manuscripts you publish and the proposals you create. You will be spending a lot of time on them. Many potential faculty spend a decade learning new experimental skills to help them in their career but somehow think that writing is an innate ability. You can develop this skill with practice, workshop participation, and by soliciting critical feedback. Another comment to the aspiring PI: you will be a manager. However, unlike a manager for a company, you are managing undergraduate and graduate students, who have little experience, may have issues related to getting a degree, and a number of conflicting priorities (which is more important: a passing grade or your research project?). Keep the advice balanced and directed toward their interests. If you career goals lean toward industry, many of the same points also apply. Interestingly, some sources claim that faculty are not qualified to give advice on careers in industry. I hope that the dozens of hours I spend talking to a range of corporate recruiters and visiting multiple chemical and pharmaceutical companies each year, as well as serving on scientific advisory boards of startups, provides me with insights into a range of careers. I, like many faculty, am regularly exposed to a range of careers in science and have learned that industrial cultures are varied, something that may not be evident to an individual at a single company. In addition, I am in contact with many of my former graduate students and postdoctoral associates, and they provide me insights to share with those looking for similar jobs. Some will tell you that those hiring for industry do not value published papers.6 This is simply not the case. Recruiters often ask about my students’ manuscripts. Why are they interested?
ike many professors, I am frequently asked by my graduate students and postdoctoral associates (and many others) for career advice. In addition to learning from my own personal experiences over several decades, I read blogs, articles, and editorials on the issues facing current graduates. Surprisingly, I often hear the comment that professors try to steer their students into academic careers: I disagree. As less than 10% of chemistry graduate students end up choosing academic careers,1 how can someone say that professors force students into the academic career path when so few choose this direction? While I really enjoy my career choice, I recognize that most of my students will be seeking jobs in industry, and this has been true for a long while. I am invested in my students’ successes, and my goal has always been to arm my students and research associates with the knowledge they need to make an informed decision. I also welcome the recent trend on my campus, and I assume other campuses, to offer seminars, classes, graduate student and postdoctoral organizations, and career advisors to inform and help individuals achieve their career goals.2 Professional organizations such as the ACS also provide a variety of resources.3 For those who do want an academic career, an issue they face is the low success rate in securing an academic position. Because of this and the angst it causes, I have read stories4 that imply faculty are not honest with their students about the various career paths available to them, including not letting them know they may be better suited to a nonacademic job. I, and many of my colleagues, often provide advice but would never set up trainees for failure by recommending an inappropriate job. I try to share what I know about the requirements for various paths, and I certainly want my students to select careers at which they will excel. With that said, I rarely tell students that they are not cut out for a specific job as I do not always know what their goals are or what their abilities might be. I have been surprised when former students have done well in careers that may have appeared not to be their best choice from my perspective. One of my former graduate students, who could not manage a few undergraduate students, is now in charge of several hundred individuals and is, by all accounts, a fantastic manager. If you are interested in a career in academia, research success does matter. However, many graduate students and postdoctoral associates receive excellent training and are good scientists. What makes some stand out over others? While it can help, it does not require publishing a Science or Nature paper, but rather, an overall record of success. According to the PI Predictor,5 an individual does get credit for high impact papers, but papers that appear in the more typical journals and are cited more than the average rate for the journal are a predictor of future success. The take away message: publish high-quality manuscripts and your academic success is more likely. Keep in mind that hot papers are not a matter of “luck” or having good data but oftentimes are a result of your problemsolving skills. Some scientists appear lucky because all of their © XXXX American Chemical Society
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DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.6b00532 Anal. Chem. XXXX, XXX, XXX−XXX
Analytical Chemistry
Editorial
Scientific publications document your ability to successfully finish a project. If you cannot finalize a project, how will you be an asset to the company? I am also frequently asked about an individual’s ability to work in teams and interdisciplinary groups. Evidence of this can be nonfirst authored, interdisciplinary manuscripts, which suggest you are willing to work on a team to get a project finished. It may be assumed that an individual with only first author manuscripts, a goal of many postdoctoral associates and graduate students, is unwilling to support others and work in teams. Do not decline collaborative science efforts; these are helpful to you. Another set of questions centers around management and leadership. How can you learn (and document) these abilities? Reach out by participating in extracurricular activities and getting involved in student organizations. At most universities, there is always the option to work with undergraduates on your research project. Working with undergraduates demonstrates your ability to successfully manage others. The bottom line: enjoy scientific research but cultivate your writing, management, and leadership abilities. Be proactive in planning your future. Communicate with your advisor about your goals and progress toward them−you will find that almost all advisors will work to ensure your success. Your efforts in these areas will serve you well as you move forward down your chosen career path.
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Jonathan V. Sweedler AUTHOR INFORMATION
Notes
Views expressed in this editorial are those of the author and not necessarily the views of the ACS.
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RELATED READINGS
(1) Hannay, T. Too many science PhDs? Not if unis train them for careers outside academia. The Guardian, September 15, 2014. (2) Examples from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (a) http://sops.beckman.illinois.edu/whoweare/. (b) http:// teachingandlearning.illinois.edu/pffcourses/Chem_590.pdf. (3) http://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/careers/career-services/ career-pathways.html. (4) Anonymous. Postdoc blues: how do you know when it is time to give up? Times Higher Education, October 15, 2015. (5) van Dijk, D.; Manor, O.; Carey, L. B. Publication metrics and success on the academic job market. Curr. Biol. 24(11), 2014, R516− R517. DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2014.04.039 and the link to the PI predictor: http://www.pipredictor.com/. (6) Hankel, I. 5 moronic mistakes that keep PhDs stuck in academia. Next Scientist, downloaded February 4, 2016.
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DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.6b00532 Anal. Chem. XXXX, XXX, XXX−XXX
