I really enjoy being challenged to think ambitiously and creatively about complex problems, learning from internal and external experts, integrating knowledge across sectors and seeing the impact of my work on a daily basis.
Use contacts to get advice and explore options. I wish I’d spoken to more people when I first applied for a medical degree as the advice I got was invaluable
I wouldn’t necessarily change anything. I did what made sense for me at each career stage.
Understanding what really motivates me and gets me out of bed in the morning tended to steer me in the right direction and enabled me to realise my calling.
When the job is highly related to my PhD field, I’m able to ramp up faster and apply my domain knowledge to the job. When the job is less related to my PhD, self-learning and soft skills are generally useful.
I started a process of self-awareness to understand where I could apply my skills and which were my main motivations from a personal and professional point of view.
If you want to make the transition, do a lot of soul searching to figure out which skills you have that are marketable and if they are sufficient to reach your goal
I felt isolated when I was exploring a transition, but now I realize that there are tons of ex-academics leading fulfilling work lives in a variety of sectors.
I miss neuroscience. I knew I would miss it even when I made my decision to move on. That said, I have found myself using the same mental research and problem-solving faculties in my current job, even though it has no link to neuroscience.
My research training set me up to get on with work independently and think for myself.
Don’t be afraid to reach out to people that have made the move and to ask them questions. There is a whole world outside of academia and the options are endless, you just have to look!
Industry and academia have different drivers so a mix of both during a career is good. Industry always has the reality check of whether somebody will pay for your work which forces you to be efficient and scope your work so that some results are regularly delivered.
