Author: Sandlin Seguin
Sandlin
Seguin
Seeing Yourself as a Technical Writer
As I mentioned before, my team has been looking to hire a couple technical writers. While the requirements for any specific role may vary, I find that it is a role that scientists can transition into fairly easily, because so much of what we do hinges on our ability to communicate clearly and c...
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Sandlin
Seguin
The Argument for Work Life Balance
When I was a graduate student I worked hard, but not quite as hard as I felt like I should work. I often brought home manuscripts I thought I might read before bed, only to take them back to work to read over lunch, and then back home again. I would schedule myself time to do things on the weekend, ...
Sandlin
Seguin
Jobs in Curriculum Development
In the new year, my job title changed from eLearning Specialist to eLearning Developer. My boss delivered this news with some hand waving about internal alignments, and my day to day work hasn’t changed. When I applied for my job as an eLearning Specialist, I wasn’t sure that I would make the cu...
Sandlin
Seguin
Tips For Giving Criticism
“This abstract is awful. Just start over.”“You give bad lectures. You didn’t make sense.”“This manuscript is a mess. It needs organization.”Taking criticism is hard. Giving criticism is hard. Giving criticism in ways that can be taken by the listener, is an art form. I don’t claim to...
Sandlin
Seguin
Resources for Finding a Career
Sometimes the science career track can feel like a track you are stuck on. If you are starting to feel like your career options are limited to being faculty or failure, or that you just want to give up and go back to school to learn a trade, you might not be aware of some of the really interesting c...
Sandlin
Seguin
I got a job!
Two weeks after my contract at Edgenuity officially ended, I have a new job offer in hand. I don’t want to be laying down platitudes about the right way to look for a job, because:-this job offer was 4 months in the making.-I never actually applied for this job.-I got this job because my old manag...
Sandlin
Seguin
Taking Criticism as a Professional Writer
To be successful in science, you have to learn how to take criticism. This is one of the reasons I left the bench. I didn't like feeling like I wasn't good enough all the time. At that time, I thought that the best coping strategy would be to ignore the criticism. Unfortunately, this left me feeling...
Sandlin
Seguin
The Amount of Writing it Takes to Become a Writer
“I earned my PhD in drug discovery in 2011, and now I work as a curriculum writer.” When I introduce myself this way, especially to other trainees who are interested in transitioning away from the bench, I always get asked, “How did you do that?” I usually say that I wrote a lot,...
Sandlin
Seguin
Becoming An Expert In Things I Enjoy
As a graduate student, I worked really hard to do the things that graduate students are supposed to do. I went to the seminars. I read the journal club papers. I did well in my classes. And I will admit that I was often pretty jealous of other people who weren’t so regimented about those things, b...
Sandlin
Seguin
Working as a Technology Licensing Intern
One of the important factors in my job hunt was that after my defense, my husband accepted a job in Seattle. Seattle is very far from Pittsburgh, where I graduated, but much closer to our friends and family. It was a great opportunity for his career, and of all the places we could end up, the Seattl...
