Replies

• Hildi Rowland

  02 July 2008 | 08:52

  I absolutely agree with that. If you want to get ahead you need to realise that if your goal is to have a fun and easy life, you will not fulfill your full potential and most likely stay stuck repeating the same thing over and over again. if you look at hard work as a stepping stone, see going through shit as an opportunity to learn, than you are very likely to move up in this world. i’m not saying it’s easy and there are benefits to staying in your comfort zone, but at the same time you’ll have drawbacks. the question is what do you prefer, hard work which might keep you from your family or the frustration of an easy life without progression, moving to a different country to join a lab that will get you ahead or stay where your friends are but probably not have the salary you dream of, etc? everyone has their pains and gains. what is it you really want and what are you willing to give to achieve that?

• Paul Smaglik

  02 July 2008 | 19:00

  Metrics Meter

  Monitor your performance reviews and ensure that they are showing progress. Create your own set of metrics—publication, citations and patents for academics, targets met and products advanced through the pipeline for industry science. Create your own goals, set deadlines to meet them. Challenge yourself. Also, seek informal feedback from colleagues both in and outside your organization. Seek out new projects and collaborations to keep work from being route. As a science journalist, I created my own metrics
  for attending meetings. And I ask people outside my organization what they think of my work. I also challenge myself to write about things I’ve never covered before (one of my scariest professional experiences was an internship at Science News; I wnated to write only about medicine, but my colleagues there encouraged me to write about a different discipline every week—truly scary!) and I try different approaches to story-telling to keep myself fresh. And I seek out healthy risks like my decision last year to leave my permanent job at Nature to hike the Appalachian Trail. Creating your own parameters for success helps exceed the metrics set by others and gives you control over the direction and progress of your own career.

• Paul Smaglik

  11 July 2008 | 18:40

  Support systems
  Talking to people within your company or university can help you identify new opportunities and develop the skills you need to take advantage of them. Whenever a scientist asks me about getting into science writing, I always advise them to contact their institution’s public information office. Most public information officers will be happy to share what they do and how they do it and would likely allow scientists to assist them in writing press releases, newsletters or on-line stories about science. Then, when openings occur, the scientists will have both the skills and contacts to make the move. The same goes for skills like tech transfer (meet with your institution’s intellectual property office), or interdisciplinary research (foster relationships with departments outside your own that have overlapping research goals). The most important thing to remember about both real and virtual networking is that you need to give back at least as much as you take away from the relationship.

• Paul Smaglik

  14 July 2008 | 17:05

  Skills set
  Sometimes, successfully leaving your comfort zone means identifying and gaining new skills. First, think about what you want to do. Is it finance? Marketing? Law? Then think about what you already know about these areas and what knowledge you’d like to gain. You can learn some stuff informally—by talking to colleagues who have experience in these areas. You can also take a short-term approach, with fellowships, workshops and short courses. Or you can get yet another degree—an MBA for marketing or business management, a JD for intellectual property or a Master’s in science writing. You’ll need to weigh the costs and benefits of spending time and money for the more long-term approach. It might also help to talk to people who’ve made the transitions you want to make and see what approaches they’ve taken. Even if you don’t want to make a full-on switch, it’s generally a good idea to gain new skills—just as it’s wise to keep expanding your lab tricks repertoire. Also, remember to make the distinction between hard skills and soft skills; you’ll need the right mix of both to be successful. Here’s a rational for seeking soft skills And here’s a collection of articles on what some of these skills are and how to gain them. Finally, here’s an example of someone who sought formal training to transition away from the bench.

• Paul Smaglik

  15 July 2008 | 15:31

  Get involved
  Being active in jobs beyond your principal duty can lead you to work away from the bench, either inside or outside your organization. Serving on a recruitment committee can teach you human resources you can use at a company. Participating in a study section could lead to a grant manager job at a foundation. Acting as a journal referee could open doors to a job as a journal editor. Don’t forget activities outside, but related to, your organization, either. Helping organize conferences for your professional society or regional network could open doors. And all these activities will put you in contact with people who, once familiar with your work ethic and scientific interests, can point you to new jobs. As I’ve said earlier, the best way to network is to help individuals and organizations; it’s much more effective than only exchanging business cards and shaking hands.

• Anonymous

  16 July 2008 | 14:25

  This content has been removed by the forum moderators.

• Paul Smaglik

  28 July 2008 | 16:19

  Research…your options
  Spend time researching your career options. That means keeping up with contacts in your network, reading literature about career options, updating your resume and attending events. It’s better to make your job search an on-going activity than to react to downsizing or funding crisis. If you keep up on these things, getting out of your comfort zone and into a new position should be well, relatively comfortable.