Als ich Kolabtree zum ersten Mal entdeckte, konnte ich meine Begeisterung kaum zügeln. Ich habe vor kurzem promoviert und arbeite derzeit als Postdoc in einer schnelllebigen, von Fördermitteln abhängigen Abteilung. Ich liebe den täglichen Wettlauf mit Papier und Zuschusserstellung, project design and implementation, etc., but because I am a recent graduate, I’m all too familiar with “Plan B” – that is, ensuring that you have a backup plan in case your ‘Plan A’ doesn’t work out for you. I’ve always assumed that I would have a career in academia.
Wie fast alle anderen Doktoranden, insbesondere in den Sozialwissenschaften, bin ich in einem akademischen Umfeld ausgebildet worden, und alles, was ich bisher kannte, waren Akademiker. Während meiner gesamten bisherigen Laufbahn habe ich mich auf eine Tätigkeit im akademischen Bereich vorbereitet. Als Postdoktorand gehöre ich jedoch zahlreichen Gruppen an und besuche viele Seminare, die uns auf die Tatsache vorbereiten sollen, dass die meisten von uns keine Stelle in der Wissenschaft finden werden. Das ist hart, ich weiß. Aber das ist die Realität unserer Karrierewege.
Only the lucky few, and it does seem like luck AND hard work is how Ph.D.’s are able to make their dream career a reality. However, a career as a faculty isn’t as dreamy as it used to be. Reality also means accepting the challenging funding climate for those who apply for federal funding. When you take all of this in combination, you realize that you need, and are encouraged by faculty mentors, to determine your ‘Plan B’. As scary as this has been for me, it has also been exhilarating because I have discovered that throughout my training I have gathered many skills that are applicable to many different career trajectories, including als Berater.
I’m thoroughly trained in the art of logically thinking through complex problems, analyzing and assessing challenging situations, among many other Forschung skills. However, some of the most challenging hurdles that I have encountered is determining 1) What kind of Karriere außerhalb der akademischen Welt I would be happy with? and more simply, 2) What would my occupation title actually be? Nonetheless, something I have learned along the way is that no matter what kind of research career path I decide I want to follow, the most valuable skill I’ve learned throughout my training is to always strive to be a good scientist. Thus, if I can have a career where I take my skills and expertise and help develop and implement good science, then I consider my career a win – no matter whether it is ‘Plan A’ or ‘Plan B’ or if I choose or am forced into ‘Plan A’ or ‘Plan B.’
*Dies ist ein Gast-Blogbeitrag von Tara Karns, Postdoktorandin am University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio.
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