Amy Wilson
Research Advisor at Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation (OCRF)Be open to diverse career paths. Your research skills are valuable beyond academia.
Be open to diverse career paths. Your research skills are valuable beyond academia.
I also was beginning to feel like the entire breadth of my skills were not reaching their potential as an academic.
I am finally doing something I love and that gives me confidence, something that allows me to use my existing skills but also get new ones.
Take the risk! The worst thing that can happen is you go back to academia with a (relative) wealth of industry experience – especially compared to your colleagues. The best thing that could happen is you find a full-filling career.
Where you begin doesn’t have to be where you end up, and there can be lots of stops and changes along the way!
If you love science but think that the communication part is still missing, do not hesitate. Prepare yourself in face of whatever you see as your limitations and weaknesses and go for it!
The skills you have are highly valued, but a positive can-do attitude is just as important.
A favourite part of my job is feeling like I’m doing something really impactful.
Be proactive and nurture your skills outside of the lab. Think about your career options early, so you have time to build your CV. Think about what motivates you and follow what you enjoy.
I had a great time during my PhD and really enjoyed the field I worked in. However, I started to realise that I wasn’t going to achieve the impact that I had, rather naively, expected with my project and I needed something that had more interaction with people. The lab was just not the place for me.
Researchers are highly valued by industry, so don’t be afraid to explore the opportunities that are available outside of academia.
Think early about your next step and try to prepare yourself for that, and equally important, create a coherent story about why you want to do this!