by R.S.D. » Fri May 12, 2006 11:22 am
Nice title Dave. I think this is also true in academic life science given the current funding crisis. Many people (PIs, postdocs, students) are having difficulty adapting to the idea that they need to really plan and think about their careers rather than just about their science. There's an old-fashioned mentality in academic circles that you'll "earn" that tt job/industry position/new grant if you put in your years at the bench, working as a lone wolf on your own thing, do good science, and publish well. As forum regulars know, this ain't so. To successfully transition from postdoc to a tenture-track job or a comparable industry position, people need to have a bonafide career strategy, a professional network of friends and colleagues, great people skills, excellent presentation/speaking skills, and management skills. There is no formal training in any of these "soft skills" in academics. Plus, it's difficult to seek this training on your own since time you spend on career planning, networking, leadership training, etc is time away from the bench so it comes with a cost. I'm in San Diego and many of the other postdocs here transition to industry. I've observed that people that transition successfully typically have great soft skills and have actively taken the time to develop these skills.