As
the year comes to a close, we are getting a little sentimental here at the
ASBMB Careers Blog (reaches for a box of tissues). This has been a year of
transitions, as we bid farewell to the ever-talented and founding careers
blogger Diedre Ribbens and brought on a new blogger (yours truly).
But
transition periods, like the end of the year, are a perfect time for
introspection to take stock of what all you have achieved and let the world
know about it. For example, check out this popular thread on Twitter by Adam J. Kurtz that
encourages folks to post their top-three, year-end accomplishments.
Most
importantly, Adam points out that you decide what counts as accomplishments. This
is a critical piece to understand how you define success for yourself. For
example, it may be the number of research publications or how many students you
helped mentor in the lab. This information also is useful for thinking about
what type of work really matters to you in a future career, and further communicating
the impact of your work to others in application materials and interviews.
For
me personally, this careers blog would be in my top-three accomplishments for
2017 (besides retaining my sanity in this political climate and while
successfully transitioning my teenager to college life; hey, it’s the little
things that matter). Science is about the people behind the lab bench, too — telling
their career stories to inspire others and helping early-career professionals
find their pathways toward satisfying careers.
I
especially have enjoyed all the new relationships made through this blog and
connecting people to the resources they need to be successful in their job
searches. In fact, I have heard from at least one person who applied for a job
posted here and who has been shortlisted for the interview process. And for me,
that’s the definition of success.
In
looking back on what we have accomplished this year on the careers blog, here are
five of the most-read posts that were published
in 2017 for your reading list.
1. Summertime
lab fun: From exploring life in
extreme environments to understanding the complexities of the hidden brain, participating
in summer undergraduate research is a great way to learn new skills and see
what research life is all about (and it can pay, too). This post includes many resources
to find summer-research opportunities, with application deadlines approaching
soon through early in the spring semester.
2. Biostatistics
research jobs: In this post, Diedre highlights
jobs in the biostatistics field, from entry-level to more experienced
positions, across a range of industry and nonprofit organizations focused on
health and personalized-medicine outcomes. She also provides some insight on
skills needed to qualify for work in this area.
3. Building a
portfolio career in science communications: In my first post on the
ASBMB Careers Blog, I outline ways to get started in a science-communications
career. This information is applicable to anyone looking to build a portfolio
in the #scicomm or #sciart fields (or just getting more experience
communicating science in general). Also be sure to check out these previous
posts on #sciart careers and careers in technical writing. The latter post features
Diedre’s own successful transition from Ph.D. to medical writer with useful
advice on breaking into this field.
4. Faculty
jobs outside academia: If you’re interested in a
faculty-career track, you may want to read this post that reviews the many
faculty jobs existing outside academia, including positions at the National
Institutes of Health and nonprofit research institutes and hospitals. You also
may be interested in reading these related posts on finding faculty jobs and diversity-support programs for academic
careers.
5. Consider a
job in biodefense: In this post, Diedre writes
about a number of scientist positions with private contractors in the
biodefense arena. She additionally outlines some key initialisms to know in the
field. Also check out these related posts about career paths focused on biosurveillance and public health and combating antibiotic-resistance.
But
that’s enough about us because we really want to know about you. What did you accomplish in science in 2017?
Whether it is a new science breakthrough or overcoming a challenge such as an
illness to persist in your science career, ASBMB wants to hear from you.
You
can contribute your career story or
insights by writing for the ASBMB
Today magazine,
or submit member news and updates to have your
accomplishments shared with the science community. (FYI, late-breaking abstracts for the 2018 Annual
Meeting are not due until Feb. 27, so it’s not too late to showcase your hard
work there, too.)
And
in this competitive job market, it is important to increase your online
visibility and raise your professional profile wherever possible (believe me,
your future employers will do a search for you online). Besides the fact that
you deserve to be recognized for what you have accomplished. So do yourself (and
your career) a favor: Take credit for all the amazing work you have done this
past year and share your story with others.
Bonus job posting: And if you are
interested in telling more in-depth science stories that matter, check out
these journalism fellowships available through the environmental-news outlet Grist (deadline Jan. 5) and
the Google News Lab
Fellowship
program (deadline Jan. 15).
Donna Kridelbaugh is the ASBMB careers blogger. Connect with her on Twitter (@science_mentor) or at her website (sciencementor.me).