More Career Alternatives To Academia Beckon

I think it's heartening that people are starting to talk about careers for PhDs past Academia.

I think it's heartening that people are starting to talk about careers for PhDs past Academia. I've worked in science, I've worked at the edges of science, and I've worked outside of science. For those wanting to work in science, I've given career advice and talked about the day to day. And yet I've also talked about the many alternatives (same link). Others outside of Science2.0 are also starting to chime in. In this Guardian article, they note:

there are several steps that those with doctorates can take to make
themselves more attractive to potential employers. In particular, he
believes it is important to combat popular negative stereotypes of PhD
students as verbose, individualistic and lacking emotional intelligence.

Back in my column on Marketing for Scientists, I quoted from Marc Kuchner's book, and it's worth mentioning again.

It's a tough time to be a scientist: universities are shuttering science
departments, federal funding agencies are facing flat budgets ... this antiscience climate doesn't have to
equal a career death knell-it just means scientists have to be savvier
about promoting their work and themselves.

One of my favorite entities that is trying to channel academics into entrepreneurship is the Center for New Technology Enterprise, started by Frederick Provorny, a frustrated professor who decided to leave what he felt was stagnating waters in academia. He figured this out a decade ago, but of course cultures react slowly to change. The shift from scientist as 'lab, university, or trash bin' into viewing scientists as profit-earning problem-solving machines is slowly but surely happening.

And, a friend pointed me to Worst Professor Ever, who points out 'if you can run a classroom, you can run a corporation". She also cites the The Tina Fey School of Management as a must-read, with which I concur.

After championing 'alt-science' career paths for a decade, I find myself starting-- of all things-- a professorship. I would not have achieved that position were it not for all my many non-academia twists and turns, however. So my advance to scientists in any career path is to retain your sense of adventure, and also your sense of irony. You'll need them both.