ThroughScience's Next Wave, AAAS has for more than a
decade presented information on scientific careers, and you’d be
hard pressed to find a niche that isn’t covered in detail. But even
the best of this wonderful site is just a snapshot of career
choice, a moment in time. Real-life careers aren’t static, and
every career is different; that's why real careers require
research--individual, on-the-ground research--in order to really
understand how they work. No scientist who came before you will
ever have a career quite like yours.
Many times in Tooling Up, I have described how networking works
and how important it is to talk to people and ask them how they got
where they are, or what they would have done differently if they
were given the chance. I do this all the time. A few years ago, as
I continued to collect feedback on people's career experiences, I
started to notice that careers have a certain rhythm, patterns in
career successes and crises, and that certain types of crises are
especially prevalent at certain career stages. Despite the myriad
scientific niches, scientists of all kinds go through roughly the
same career cycles. That insight led me to read some excellent
books, such as Gail Sheehy’sPassages, Daniel
Levinson’sSeasons of a Man’s Life, andCareer Stages,
by Tarrant and Uris.
During the first several years of their (independent)
professional lives, scientists move past the uncomfortable
transition into a stable and solid permanent position.
Although it's true that every career is different, and that
generalizations like these can only take you so far, it is also
true that we can learn lessons by observing common patterns. At
worst, it's possible to find comfort from the knowledge that other
people have been through these crises--or similar ones--before. At
best, thinking about them before they occur can help you make it
through to the other side.
Whereas
Part 1 of this series focused on the patterns of work-life
crisis, this month’s edition takes on the shape--the rhythm--of the
typical career, and how career crises fit into its natural
stages.
The following generalizations--and they are just that:
generalizations--are drawn from thousands of interviews I've
conducted as a recruiter in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical
industries. I hope these illustrations will illuminate the path a
bit further out, beyond the current stage of most readers
ofScience's Next Wave; postdocs and grad
studentsmightbe aware that their first job in industry might
be as a research scientist or a senior scientist. Beyond that, the
picture gets a lot fuzzier or disappears completely. There's value
in knowing what lies beyond, if only in a general sense.
On the Threshold
There is the point when a young scientist leaves the shelter of
an academic mentor and moves on to an independent position. I call
this the threshold stage. When I first started interviewing
scientists, the people I met at this stage of their career tended
to be ambitious and excited about their work. Although this is
still true of many young scientists, the postdoc crisis has changed
the face of this career stage over the last decade or so. These
days, I see a lot more negativity in early-career scientists:
“When we first interviewed your candidate, Andrew, it was a
technical screen in which he did very well. The hiring manager
recommended that we bring him in. Unfortunately, in our panel
interview Andrew described his postdoc experiences in such a way
that it was a turnoff to several scientists at the table. We don’t
think he’d be happy here, and that perhaps an academic post may be
more to his liking.”
The circumstances of this stage--uncertain career prospects--and
the consequences of negativity--damaged career prospects--frame the
typical “threshold” crisis. In the case described above, a good
candidate lost out on an opportunity because he chose to share his
views on the postdoc problem at what his interviewers thought was
an inappropriate time. His cynicism was justified, but he paid a
high price for it. These days, this is a typical crisis of the
"threshold" stage.
The Discovery Stage
A time of inner discovery follows the threshold stage. During
the first several years of their (independent) professional lives,
scientists move past the uncomfortable transition into a stable and
solid permanent position. Industry scientists move beyond
independence to the interdependence of the team environment.
This is a time when successful scientists learn important things
about themselves, such as what kinds of work they really value and
enjoy. It's also a time when some scientists are called upon to
make choices that take them away from that kind of work. At this
stage, many scientists move into new positions--quality control,
regulatory affairs--that they hadn’t imagined during their
education, and that might not be a good fit. Finding yourself doing
something different from what drove you into science--and from what
you've learned you value most--can be disheartening. Some
scientists seek new types of career satisfaction and to gain
satisfaction from other aspects of their lives. Others struggle
with the process.
“My father is a physician. When we came to this country from
China, it was always his intent for me to become a doctor. That was
my goal, as well, until I fell in love with research at the
university and came out with a Ph.D. I wanted to help others, to
see my research translate to cures for disease. And now, where did
this lead me? To a job in a biotechnology company developing a cure
for baldness. This seems so false; somewhere I’ve taken a wrong
turn.”
The best outcome, of course, is to resist the pull into areas of
work you don't care about. But sometimes a professional has to make
sacrifices, at least in the short term. If you find yourself pulled
away from the work you most enjoy, it's a good idea to try to find
your way back.
Mastery
In many people’s work lives, after they have broken through the
discovery stage and found (or recovered) their niche, they become
masters. This period tends to occur between 5 and 10 years of work
experience. Scientists become known for their excellence in their
field. Their organizations value them greatly. Other companies
value them as well, so there is great recruitment activity in this
age and experience range.
For some people, this period introduces supervision and
leadership responsibilities--another pull away from the work they
really love.
“I came to my company with the intent to do some interesting
science. After all, they recruited me for just that reason; their
project had been going nowhere, and I was a part of the fix. I
didn’t realize, however, how much time it would take for me to deal
with the personnel issues I inherited. Instead of planning and
analyzing experiments, I was writing reports and doing employee
reviews. It was a huge letdown, and I found myself back in the job
market once again.”
Whereas many companies offer a “dual ladder” and the choice of
science or management, at others the move to management is less a
choice and more a gradual shift. Scientists who wake up one day and
find themselves doing paperwork instead of science just have to
deal with it as best they can.
Power
When they reach the power stage, many scientists believe they
are doing their best work. All the effort, preparation, and
experience come together to put them in their stride. The power
stage reaches across a broad spectrum of careers, generally at
between 10 and 20 years of work experience. Those at the power
stage exert influence up and down the corporate ladder; they will
be close to those who actually do the science, but their opinions
reach up to the highest levels of management. A crisis of
competition frequently sets in:
“It is wonderful to be invited to top management meetings, even
some that include board members or the CEO. But one recent meeting
was a disaster. Instead of being allowed to freely discuss my ideas
for our project, I was shot down at almost every turn by the
development section head. I felt as if I was in some kind of
competition to win points with the audience, a horse race rather
than a chance for me to contribute.”
Is doing good science possible in such an environment? Can it
triumph over politics? No one gives lessons in company politics (or
academic politics, for that matter). It’s all self-taught.
“Just Rewards” Stage
People with more than 20 years of work experience have sown
seeds over the course of their careers, and these seeds have either
born fruit or landed on rocks and withered. They've earned their
just rewards, and now it's time to reap the benefits of past
efforts. At this stage you may find yourself directing a program
you developed or running a start-up company with a management team
you worked with for a decade in another company. During this period
the decisions are more important--and for many, more
difficult--than ever before. This vice president of research got
caught in this decision trap when mulling over a job offer from a
start-up company:
“Suddenly I find myself faced with a decision that I just can’t
make. It’s strange, but being 10 or 15 years from retirement puts a
new slant on every key decision. This job change is likely to be
the last one I make, as it certainly wouldn’t be easy to be 60 and
on the job market again. I know my current situation isn’t great,
but it's stable. I’m in paralysis, feeling quite a bit of concern
about making a move at this time. This decision is going to kill
me.”
Stumbling Blocks or Steppingstones?
When studying the subject of career crises, I came across an
ancient Chinese saying that translates to “Crisis is an opportunity
riding the dangerous wind.” As you think about the crisis
situations that come up around you, see if you can find a nugget of
opportunity inside. Perhaps you’ll manage to change a stumbling
block into a steppingstone.
David G. Jensen, a writer and speaker on career
issues worldwide, is the founder and managing director of
CareerTrax Inc., a biotechnology and pharmaceutical consulting firm
located in Sedona, Arizona.