Reinventing a scientific career

I’m not one for looking back and becoming nostalgic about my life. When I do look over my shoulder, it’s to remind me of what I have learned about myself and my jobs. I knew I loved science before I was 10-don’t ask me how I knew this but I did. I think it was my insatiable appetite to know how things work. I’ve spent the years since learning, training, and working in science. The latter has taken me down a path I never imagined for myself – one that required retooling, relearning and reinventing. In the process, I realized that I thrive in jobs that couple my love of science, need to constantly learn knew things, and desire to invent. And here I am in my current paid job as an editor and as a volunteer as the CEO of the RNA Society.

How did I get here? I filled up on science and math classes in high school, pursued two undergraduate degrees (chemistry & biology), and complete undergraduate research. I left the beauty of Boulder, Colorado for the gorges of Ithaca, New York where I completed my graduate degree in Biochemistry Molecular & Cell biology, and learned how to tango. I returned to Boulder for my postdoctoral work and completely devoted to becoming a professor at a fine university. Back in Colorado, I fell in love with snowshoeing and my husband. Seven months pregnant and with my dream of becoming a professor in sight, I moved to Bloomington, Indiana where my husband and I started our faculty positions. Four years later, I was in New York learning to navigate the Upper West side of Manhattan and reinventing my career. I’m still recreating my vocation working primarily from home in Michigan. Have I found my true calling? I’m getting closer.

How does a Ph.D. scientist reinvent themselves as an editor? Start by understanding that scientific training is more than just learning to work in a lab environment with scientific facts and data. Working in a lab or a business requires the same project management and teamwork skills. Think about it - what does it take to plan and complete an experiment or graduate project? You read scientific papers, digest the content, integrate it with other knowledge gained elsewhere, plan the experiment, collect resources to complete the project, implement the work, analyze the data, and complete the project usually by writing a paper or thesis. Throughout the process, you work within a team sharing resources and knowledge to further the success of your project and the lab.

Now see what a scientific editor does. S/he reads scientific papers, digests the content, and integrates it with other knowledge to decide if the paper is worth further consideration. S/he manages the peer review process, collects the resources (reviewers) to complete the project, implements peer review, analyzes the reviews, and writes the decision letter. If the paper is accepted, s/he plans and initiates the production process and organizes the necessary publicity for the manuscript. Throughout the process, the scientific editor works within a team (editorial board members, reviewers, publications staff) sharing resources and knowledge to further ensure that the manuscript is of high quality and published on schedule. The success of the editor during this publication process contributes to the success of the publisher and the organization.

Scientific training will hopefully also teach logical thinking and problem solving, additional skills that any company can use to enhance their bottom line. If being a bench scientist or professor is not your calling or if you find that life circumstances require that you relocate and reinvent your career, consider how you can market the skills you have learned in graduate school. Pitch what you have done in business terms and see what you have to offer.

Reinventing anything is not easy and can be scary. It takes patience and a general (‘keep an open mind’) scaffold on which to build a new career. I haven’t finished reinventing my career and I continue to nudge my jobs in directions that fulfill my need to constantly learn knew things, and desire to invent. I keep a close eye on gaining skills that will get me closer to what I want. I do this both in my paid job and in my volunteer activities. I also spend time reviewing what makes me thrive personally and professionally, and redirect my job and volunteer activities to satisfy these needs. As someone who lives for innovation I expect to reinvent my career a few more times during my lifetime.