No such thing as a standard career path
Posted by the Node, on 26 November 2024
Introducing a new careers interview series
Is there such thing as a standard career path for a scientist? Some people find fulfilment in pursuing a PhD, postdoc, then starting their own research group; others may have second thoughts or may be drawn by other interests and aspirations.
In this new series, we chatted to several developmental biologists who have had vastly different career trajectories. This interview series was inspired by this 2013 post from Kara Cerveny, who went back into academia as an assistant professor after a stint as a scientific editor.
Below is a sneak peak of the career stories.
One common thread throughout all the interviews is that there is no right or wrong when choosing a career path. Every decision is profoundly personal.
We hope that whichever career stage you are at, and whatever career journey you are embarking on, these stories can help demonstrate that many valid career paths exist. It is okay to take breaks, make U-turns and go on tangents – you might end up doing something you’ve never dreamed of!
I’d like to thank everyone featured in this series so far, who’ve kindly taken time out of their busy schedules to chat to me. I appreciate everyone’s honesty and willingness to share their personal stories.
I hope you enjoy reading these interviews.
Joyce
Community Manager, the Node
Do you have an unconventional career path and want to share your story? Or do you know someone who does? Get in touch at thenode@biologists.com
Sneak peak of the career stories
Originally trained as an architect, Karen Liu made an active decision in her late 20s to pursue a scientific career, starting from washing the dishes as a lab technician. How was Karen’s journey towards becoming a professor in developmental biology? Read the interview to find out.
Bill Hinchen has always wanted to go down the academia route, but an unfortunate series of events led him to pivot his career to science writing. When he was given a second chance to do a PhD, what made him decide to turn down the offer? How is he finding life as a freelancer? Read our conversation with Bill.
Before becoming the Reviews Editor of Journal of Cell Science, Sara Morais da Silva has dipped her toes in many different careers – from teaching, to pharma, and even a brief stint in the police! What has she learned along the way? Check out the interview with Sara.
To Maria Rostovskaya, science and dance have always been equally important in her life. Between her undergraduate and PhD, Maria was a dancer and taught dancing. What made her switch careers and follow an academic path? How did her experience in dancing shape her subsequent career? Read the interview.
Instead of doing a postdoc right after his PhD, Christos Kyprianou joined The Company of Biologists as FocalPlane’s Community Manager. After setting up the community site for microscopy, what made Christos decide to return to academia as a postdoc? We interviewed Christos to find out more.
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Thanks for sharing these unique, diverse and exciting experiences. These personal stories are fascinating, and illustrate the range of successful journeys that we take as individuals. More often than not, life has a way of surprising us with its unanticipated twists and turns. Quite often, the journey is more meaningful and fulfilling than any particular destination along the way.