It’s very rewarding working directly with patients and exploring their experiences on different treatments. I also love the collaborative atmosphere and working across multiple areas, as you gain a lot of experience over a relatively short period of time.
During my DPhil I learned the importance of teamwork to obtain the desired outcome in the most efficient time. As all staff working for a company have one common goal that is to deliver a medicine that will improve the lives of patients, I felt teamwork would be even more valuable to a company.
It is great to be part of something where the progress is really tangible and your contributions really do seem to make a difference. I most enjoy the sense of reward when we overcome a difficult problem or successfully bring together technologies we’ve developed.
My research training set me up to believe that academic rigour, the levels of observation and the analytical skills gained, and the way one presents ones arguments, filters into everything one does later on in life.
My advice for researchers leaving academia would be: do not be afraid! There are many varied roles out there – more than you realise!
There are plenty of (paid!) chances to see what the world of Policy is like, and researchers are welcomed with open arms.
There are a lot of amazing opportunities outside of academia and leaving does not mean you have ‘given up or failed’.
The world is full of opportunities – don’t be afraid to find something that is fulfilling.
Try to focus, or at least keep yourself up to date with the problems that industry is trying to solve.
A few days of holiday can be used to get a first-hand picture which can, as in my case, provide the confidence I needed to turn a hunch about a career change into a reality.
If you are a successful researcher, you can solve a problem and you can write. These are invaluable skills in any sector.
My research training set me up to never lose my scientific curiosity.
