Orienting Your Career Compass Towards Science Policy: Options and Transferable Skills


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My lab mates used to tease me about my tables and charts pinned haphazardly around my desk. They belied my dedication to organization, a skill I applied to my lab work as well as to exploring career options beyond the bench.

  With a sense that any task could be accomplished given sufficient organization of mind, I approached choosing a career away from the bench in a logical, organized way. One book in particular, So What are you Going to Do With That? by Susan Basalla and Maggie Debelius, aided me in my quest. The authors urge PhD’s to consider how their work in the lab, as teaching assistants, and in various student organizations have given them tools that are transferable to other fields. Though this book now appears to be out of print, similar resources are available in the Bio Career Center bookstore.