Web Tools for Entrepreneurs and Business-Leaning Life Scientists

As the competition for traditional life sciences jobs continues to intensify, many PhD-trained life scientists are looking for alternate career opportunities. One of the most popular and intriguing options is business—mostly because each of us more than likely knows somebody “who hit it big” by starting a biotechnology or life science-related company. While the entrepreneurial life isn’t for everyone, those intrepid individuals who are willing to give it a shot and possibly be successful ought to be aware of a few basic tools that will make life as an entrepreneur slightly less stressful. To that end, Emma Taylor over at Accredited Online Colleges sent me a blog post that lists 100 web tools that may be valuable to budding entrepreneurs and business-oriented life scientists.

Author Note: The list is a very valuable one; I am using several of the tools on the list that I had previously never heard about! So, here goes: 

Organization

Keep your studies, ideas and research organized with these helpful online tools.

  1. Google Reader: Instead of visiting every blog you read, why not organize them all on this easy-to-use RSS reader?
  2. Backpack: Keep your notes, contacts, information and just about everything else for class or business organized with this tool.
  3. Stickies: This application makes it simple to make notes to yourself right on the web.
  4. Bla-Bla List: Try out this to-do list application for no frills tracking of all the things you need to get done.
  5. Mindomo: This web tool is great for laying out your thoughts for anything from business endeavors to class projects.
  6. FreeMind: Use this free mind-mapping software to figure out where you want to go with an idea.
  7. bubbl.us: This web application is perfect for brainstorming your next big project.
  8. iOrganize: Mac users can try out this application, designed to keep notes and important information centrally located and easy to find.
  9. Zoho Planner: Give this free planner a try. It’ll let you create and share to-dos, notes, contacts, images and more.
  10. Clipmarks: Those who do a lot of web research or just like to browse can save interesting links for future reference using this tool

Scheduling

Make sure you never miss a meeting, test or networking opportunity by using these scheduling apps.

  1. Google Calendar: Google’s calendar is easy-to-use and will let you organize all your important work, school and social events.
  2. Cozi: This calendar tracks everything from sports meets to shopping lists.
  3. Keep and Share: If you often work with others on projects or extracurricular activities, this calendar-sharing app could be right up your alley.
  4. Spongecell: With this application you can create and customize your calendar and share it with others when you choose.
  5. Doodle: This personalized scheduling app will help you arrive on time and prepared for the events in your life.
  6. StudyRails: Plan out your study time and know when important due dates are coming up with this application.
  7. 30 Boxes: Use this tool to keep track of all the things, both big and small, going on in your life.
  8. SlimTimer: Track how long you’re working on a project, create to-dos and generally manage your time more wisely with this application.
  9. WhichTime: This calendar makes it incredibly simple to keep track of where you’re supposed to be and when.
  10. Jotlet: Quickly jot down appointments and important due dates using this calendar app. 

Networking and Marketing

Use these web tools to get your name out there, make connections and make the most of the millions of potential investors and employers using the web.

  1. Facebook: You can do a whole lot more with Facebook than just keep track of your old friends. Create a networking profile and get your name known.
  2. Twitter: Creating a Twitter account can be a great way to share updates about your business, school or your ideas.
  3. LinkedIn: Take advantage of this networking tool to get in touch with the thousands of other businesspeople online in your field.
  4. Elance: Using this tool you can make connections and even find some freelance work.
  5. iMantri: If you’re in search of a mentor in your industry, don’t pass up this excellent site for pairing young professionals with mentors.
  6. Company of Friends: One of the earliest business social networks, this site still offers a great number of professional contacts for those who are willing to search for them.
  7. Ecademy: Meet people, blog and join professional groups on this business networking site.
  8. Media Bistro: This site makes it easier to meet and talk with people in the content generation business, great for promoting your business or for making contacts.
  9. Jigsaw: Link your budding business up with others through this large B2B network.
  10. Meetup: Through this site you’ll be able to find business meetups, events and more in your area. 

Staying Connected

Talk to business partners, clients, friends and colleagues using these great online tools.

  1. Gmail: Of the free email services out there, most would agree that Gmail is far and away the best choice. Better yet, you can link it up with a calendar, RSS reader and more.
  2. Google Voice: This online service allows you to get your voice messages no matter where you are and to consolidate your phone numbers.
  3. Campfire: Collaborate with others on school and work projects using this site.
  4. FaxZERO: Fax machines may be outdated, but in your business you’ll likely encounter someone who wants something faxed to them. That’s where this service comes in handy.
  5. K7: On the flipside, this service allows you to receive fax messages even if you don’t have a fax machine.
  6. LogMeIn: If you can’t always take your computer with you where ever you go, it’s not a problem with this service that lets you log onto your desktop from anywhere.
  7. Highrise: This web tool makes it simple to keep track of your professional contacts, perfect for helping you find work or drum up business.
  8. Wufoo: One way to generate a better product is by asking customers what they think. This site helps you do that simply and easily.
  9. Wordpress: What better way to get your business out there and stay connected with the world than by creating a blog? Get a free site here.
  10. Meebo: Chat with people on all chat platforms using this one easy tool.

Research

Whether you’re doing research for a class or for your own ideas or ventures, these tools can help.

  1. BNET: Get access to this site’s business library and news to stay on top of what is going on in the business world.
  2. Seeking Alpha: Research stocks and investing ideas through this site.
  3. U.S. Business Reporter: On this site you’ll find information about businesses, including their sales, statistics and more.
  4. BizShark: Whether you’re looking for a job or just want to know more about a particular business, this search engine makes it simple.
  5. Motley Fool: Find all the market advice and information you need through this site.
  6. Masterseek: This company search engine lets you search by brand, product or business.
  7. Zibb: Find just about any business and accompanying news, stats and information on this site.
  8. Google Scholar: The web is full of information, but not all of it’s reliable. This search engine pares down results to just scholarly and professional sources.
  9. Zotero: If you use Firefox as a browser, then try out this great plug-in that makes it simple to save, share and cite references you’ve culled from the web.
  10. CiteULike: Make sure your bibliography isn’t a total mess by using this easy citation generator.

Mobile Apps

Don’t let a little thing like being away from the computer slow down your business aspirations. Try out these mobile web apps to take your projects on the road.

  1. Business Reference Library: Make every time you don’t know something an opportunity to learn more with this amazing dictionary.
  2. Oxford Dictionary of Finance and Banking: Look up any words or terms that seem strange to you with this handy tool.
  3. mbPointer: Transform your phone into a fully featured presentation pointer using this application.
  4. Analytics App: See just how well your business or personal website is doing with this analytics tool.
  5. QuickOffice Mobile Office Suite: Whether you’re writing a business plan, tracking your finances or just preparing for class, this app lets you do it from anywhere.
  6. Pocket MBA Test: If you’re studying to get your MBA, practice the information you’ll need to know for the test while on the go.
  7. Glossary of Business Acronyms: Never wonder what an acronym means again with this helpful reference app.
  8. Leadership Quotes: Get inspired with this application full of great business leadership quotes.
  9. Bump: With this application you can share your business card simply by touching your phone to another.
  10. Wall Street Words: Not sure what the heck the Wall Street Journal is talking about? Don’t stay ignorant, look the word up in this financial dictionary app.

Multitasking and Productivity

Learn how to get more done with less by using these apps.

  1. OmniFocus: Try out this application to finally "get serious" about productivity with functions that let you take notes, turn them into to-dos and stay on task.
  2. Netvibes: Keep all your favorite websites organized in one place so you can see what’s going on with each at the same time using this site.
  3. Evernote: Create notes for yourself on the go and share, email and access them later with this tool.
  4. Remember the Milk: Get to-do lists on your computer that you can check on the web or on your phone with this tool.
  5. Ta-Da List: This simple tool lets you create to-do lists to ensure you get all your work done.
  6. Joe’s Goals: Set goals for yourself for this year, five years from now or this week using this site.
  7. Time Tracker: This tool lets you keep track of what sites you’re visiting so you can pare down your procrastination time.
  8. Rescue Time: If you’re easily distracted, this tool is designed to help you focus and limit the temptation to browse other websites.
  9. TreePad Lite: Organize your personal information, data, contacts, notes and more in one place using this application.
  10. Todoist: Use this application to track all of the things you need to get done in a day or week.

Starting a Business

If you’re feeling ambitious and want to start your own business while in graduate school, these free tools can be a big help in getting the venture off the ground!

  1. Highrise: Use the website to track business leads, clients and contacts so you’ll never lose out on potential business.
  2. Freshbooks: Manage all of your business finances using this online tool.
  3. Basecamp: This project management site will let you dole out tasks, see where a project stands and keep it all organized.
  4. Wesabe: Whether you use it for your personal finances or to track a business’ worth, this free financial tool is a great online resource.
  5. ConceptShare: Get feedback on your designs, concepts and projects easily through this collaborative tool.
  6. PayPal: You’ve got to get paid somehow, and this site makes it pretty darn simple to get it done.
  7. MyNewCompany: Use this site as a great source of information to make sure you’re not making any big blunders when it comes to running your new business.
  8. Nolo: Find legal advice for your new business on this site.
  9. BigCartel: If you need a shopping cart app for your site, this one is reasonably priced and easy to use.
  10. Google AdWords: Google Ads are a great way to promote your business or to make a few extra bucks by placing them on your site.

Markets and Investment

Follow global economic trends, identify investors or and try your own hand at investing by using these tools.

  1. Covestor: Follow what more experienced investors are doing on Covestor to see how things work and gain confidence.
  2. Tip’d: Stay current with the latest business and financial news on this site.
  3. Market Watch Community: This site will help you to learn more about the market in an online investment community.
  4. Zopa: If you need a loan for your business, get one from everyday people and not the bank through this site.
  5. Market Watch: Keep up with the ups and downs of the market on this site.
  6. Quote.com: Find out where any stock stands by looking it up on this site.
  7. Investor Guide: Get stock quotes, investing advice and the latest financial news on this site.
  8. Go4Funding: Go through this site to find an angel investor for your business venture.
  9. Venture Worthy: Find out if your business has what it takes to draw in investors from this great website.
  10. Investing Minds: Share advice and ideas on investing on this online community.

Business Toolkits

These toolkits combine a wide variety of resources from business plan templates to financial calculators to make sure you know the ins and outs of being an entrepreneur.

  1. Inc.com: From finding a job to managing a workplace, this site is full of tools and articles to help you do it right.
  2. BizToolkit: Learn how to plan, market and grow a business with this toolkit.
  3. Entrepreneur.com: Find vendors, learn how to franchise, discover PR tools and more through this site.
  4. SCORE: Here you’ll get access to business-related quizzes, podcasts and links.
  5. U.S. Small Business Administration: There are numerous free resources available to small business owners on this government site.
  6. Bplans.com: Find sample business plans and learn how to build your own on this site.
  7. Green Business Guide: Try out the resources found on this site to launch your own green business.
  8. Small Business Toolkit: The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has created this set of tools to help you start, manage and expand your business.
  9. Goliath Business Tools: With business plans, a business encyclopedia, and a company profile database, this site is chock-full of business goodness
  10. Business Owner’s Toolkit Find everything you’ll need to get your business up and running on this site.

Until next time...

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!!!!

 

Midcareer Transitions: Teaching

My father was an elementary school teacher who eventually became an elementary school principal, a position that he retired from about 15 years ago. As you might imagine, education was an important part of the lives of my three siblings and me. Like my father, three of four of us eventually pursued careers in education: my sister teaches art to high school students in California; my brother is a professor in the Department of Microbiology at the University of Vermont and I have been a science educator for most of my adult life.

When I first entered graduate school in the Department of Bacteriology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, I intended to pursue a teaching career at a small liberal arts institution. My career goals changed during my graduate school experiences, and ultimately I chose to pursue a career in academic research rather than teaching. Despite that decision, my first and perhaps only love has always been teaching. Ironically, it was my love of teaching that prevented me from winning tenure at the University Of Miami School Of Medicine. While I have reinvented myself no fewer than 10 times during my admittedly circuitous career path, the one common and constant element that links together some of my seemingly disparate career choices has been my love of teaching.

No matter what the experts may say, there is no middle ground in teaching—you either love it or hate. Put simply, there are those who were born to teach and others who were not!

When I give my Alternate Careers for PhDs talk to graduate and postdoctoral fellows who are looking for career options, I always mention teaching. Not surprisingly, I wax romantically about how noble a profession teaching is and the acute need for qualified science teachers. However, I always temper my remarks by emphasizing that “unless you are passionate about teaching, then becoming a teacher may not be an appropriate career choice. In other words, unless you are “all in” you never be an effective teacher. To that end, I came across an article in this Sunday’s New York Times by Peter Wilson; a former executive who decided to eschew a successful public relations career in his mid-30s to become a middle school English teacher. 

If after reading Peter's story, you find yourself energized or “moved” by his story, then I believe that you possess the “right stuff” to pursue a career in education. As the old Nike ads urge: “Just Do It!”

Hat tip to Peter Wilson!

Until next time...

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!

 

A Tenure Decision That Went Horribly Wrong

Amy Bishop, a tenure track faculty member of the Biology Department at the University of Alabama-Huntsville shot and killed three faculty members and wounded three others after learning that her appeal of a negative tenure decision was denied. While this incident doesn’t typify the response of faculty members who are denied tenure (subsequent reports suggest that she previously accidentally shot and killed her brother 20 years ago), it illustrates how high the stakes are or (may be perceived) by those aspiring to successful academic careers. 

Based my own experiences, being denied tenure is emotionally debilitating—mostly because of the public humiliation and stigma associated with it. Despite what your friends, loved ones or fellow faculty members say to you to ease the pain, being denied tenure suggests that you weren’t scientifically astute or “smart enough” to be guaranteed a job for life. It doesn’t matter whether or not the decision was fair or that there may have been extenuating personal or political circumstances, the bottom line is that you had your shot (no pun intended)and you simply didn’t have the right stuff to gain membership into the elite club populated by “outstanding scientists.” Put simply, your failure to win tenure has earned you the label of being a “failed scientist.” While nobody will ever utter those words, I can assure you, based on my own experiences that they think it no matter how successful you ultimately may become.

If I sound bitter...well....I am; but not for the reasons that you may suspect (being denied tenure was probably best career move that I was ever forced to make). While being denied tenure at institutions like Harvard, Stanford, Yale, Columbia or other elite universities doesn’t mean that you cannot have a successful academic career at lesser institutions, being denied tenure the University of Miami School of Medicine (or the University of Alabama-Huntsville for that matter) almost always means that your academic career is over. This means that after chasing an academic career for most of your professional life, you can longer do what you were trained to do and you must now do something else with your life Unfortunately, and not surprisingly, the vast majority of graduate students and postdocs that I have talked with over the past 15 years have given little thought to what that something else may be.

But, don’t be too hard yourself because you have no idea what you next career move may be after the academic career route path is no longer viable. The blame for this conundrum falls squarely on shoulders of the faculty members (mostly tenured) who train graduate students and postdoctoral fellows for careers in the life sciences. Despite the fact that only 10 percent of PhD-trained life scientists land tenure track positions after completing their training, graduate programs continue to exclusively focus on academic careers for their graduates and trainees. While I believe that this practice is ill-advised and clearly flies in the face of supply side economics, the steadfast refusal of life sciences graduate programs to develop alternative career tracts within their training programs to accommodate the career needs of a majority of their graduates is especially egregious and odious.

It is not difficult to understand why many tenured faculty members don’t give much thought about future employment prospects for their graduate students and postdocs. After all, they already have jobs that are guaranteed for life and it stands to reason that the careers and employment opportunities for others are not high on their priority lists.  Like it or not, when it comes to employment opportunities and career choices, most graduate students and postdocs are on their own!

It is extremely tragic that three people lost their lives and several others were wounded by a deeply troubled and misguided former tenure track faculty member. It won’t be surprising if certain faculty members dismiss the incident and attribute its horrific nature to a seriously disturbed and deranged person. After all, who in their right mind would do such an awful thing? However, I am certain that the humiliation, outrage and psychological pain experienced by Bishop are fairly common among individual who are denied tenure. Rather than turn her rage inward, she decided to take it out on the people who she thought had destroyed her life.  Maybe this incident will induce graduate programs to consider implementing career development programs that showcase alternate careers beyond the traditional tenure track career path.

Until next time...

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!!

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Comedy as an Alternate Career Choice for Life Scientists?

Let’s face it; scientists aren’t generally regarded as being funny. While I have met several very funny researchers during my almost 35 year career, the vast majority of my colleagues have been mostly serious and, at times, difficult to amuse; especially when things weren't going so well in the lab.

I consider myself to be a funny guy. And, hanging out and playing softball with Larry David, co-creator of Seinfeld and star of Curb Your Enthusiasm, for three years while a postdoc at Columbia Medical School convinced me that I have some talent. However, while I have often fantasized about a career in comedy, I never had the courage to turn in my lab coat and give it a try. The same can't be said about Tim Lee; a card-carrying PhD-trained biologist who after realizing laboratory research wasn’t for him decided to embark on a career as stand up comedian.

While Powerpoint presentations (modeled after scientific seminars) serve as the centerpieces of his stand up routines, Tim is also exploring other comedic vehicles to help him continue to make a living as a stand up comic. As he told BioCrowd co-founder Vincent Racaniello and I in a recent podcast that we did with Tim before a mid-week stand up gig in San Francisco, 'you gotta lead with your strengths."

Tim has been working as a comedian for the past seven years and, much to his surprise and pleasure, is "making more than he would have if he had chosen to do a postdoc after completing his PhD degree." Tim's star is rising and was recently featured in a New York Times article entitled “Did You Hear the One about the Former Scientist.”

Vincent and I had a wonderful discussion with Tim about his difficult decision to abandon science and what it feels like to embark on a new career (that you didn’t spend 10 years training for!) He still takes science seriously and frequently peruses journal articles and other scientific sources for material. And, for the record both Vincent and I thought Tim was pretty, pretty good (as Larry David would say) at what he does!.

To listen to the podcast and to see a video of one of Tim’s stand up routines visit BioCrowd!

Until next time...

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting (the comedy clubs can use a few more good scientists)

 

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Is a Bioscience Career Worth the Aggravation?

While this isn’t a new topic, I wanted to raise the question again because I recently received a message  from a reader that greatly troubled me. The person who posted the comment has a PhD degree in biomedical engineering and is extremely angry with the existing system because of the lack of employment opportunities in her field. Put simply, she is so frustrated with the system that she no longer believes that it is ethical to advise young people to pursue careers in the life sciences. I know that she isn’t alone and that many of you share her anger and frustration with the lies (as she put it) about employment opportunities for life sciences PhD candidates and postdoctoral fellows

From time to time, I am invited by graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to talk about alternative careers in the life sciences. I try to remain upbeat and positive during my presentation but generally I can’t control myself by the Q&A session. Invariably, I rant and rave about how dysfunctional academia has become. Interestingly, I recently was uninvited by my former graduate department where I was slated to present a seminar on alternate career choices for life scientists. As the tenured faculty member (you know how I feel about tenure) who would have sponsored my visit told me “the seminars that we offer our students are scientific in nature and much different than many of the topics that I discuss on my very interesting blog.” Consequently, he informed me that I was no longer invited to give my talk (I was previously invited by the Department Chair who happened to be a former colleague of mine who decided to move to another institution before my visit). In an e-mail response to his un-invitation, I told him that I wanted to visit the Department and give the talk because I believe that my graduate education is what enabled me to maneuver the minefield that ultimately became my career path. Also, I told him that I wanted to share my insights and career experiences with current graduate students and postdoctoral fellows because I thought that many may benefit from them. Not surprisingly, I never heard back from him. 

The point that I am trying to make is that my message about alternative careers for PhD students is diametrically opposed to the mission of most PhD programs; which is to prepare 100% of their students for academic careers. Unfortunately, as I have stated many times in the past, only about 10% of those who receive life sciences PhD degrees land academic appointments. What are the remaining 90% of the folks who toiled long and hard for their PhD degrees suppose to do with their lives? In the past, as many as 50% or more of these students were able to garner jobs as research scientists at biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies or with government agencies like the CDC, FDA, EPA and others. Unfortunately, the pharmaceutical industry has laid off over 200,000 employees in the past 3 years, funding for biotech companies has hit an all time low and we are experiencing the worst recession in almost 70 years which is causing government agencies to stop hiring! This begs the question: what are graduate students pursuing PhD degrees and postdoctoral fellows suppose to do to put food on the table to feed their families and themselves? 

While I don’t have an easy answer to that question, I can tell you that getting angry and frustrated or dropping out of the system isn’t going to change anything. I will also tell you that the system isn’t going to change by itself! To that end, it may make sense for all of you angry and frustrated graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to band together and tell your advisors and mentors that “you are mad as hell and not going to take it anymore.” To show them that you are serious, I highly recommend that your offer them a plan to address your concerns about finding gainful employment (not decade long postdoctoral fellowships) following completion of your PhD degrees. For example, you may suggest that they add alternate career certificate and degree programs to their existing curricula. Or, if new programs are too costly, suggest that they offer courses that showcase alternate career options like entrepreneurship, science writing or medical communications. Finally, at the very list, insist that they work with local companies and organization to create sponsored internship opportunities and get them to commit to supporting annual career development symposia or job fairs for graduate students and postdocs.

For the past decade or more, I have struggled to convince many of my academic colleagues to consider any and all of the above suggestions. Unfortunately, my pleas for creation of new courses and programs have fallen upon deaf ears! Given my current lack of success, I suspect that it is going to take more than one person (me) to induce the academic establishment to consider systemic change. That said anybody who may be interested in joining the “cause” to improve employment opportunities for PhD life scientists, please feel free to contact me!

Until next time...

Good Luck and Good Organizing!!!!!

 

Alternate Careers for PhDs: So You Think You Want to Be a Consultant?

Over the past year or so, more graduate students and postdoctoral fellows have been asking me about management consulting careers in the life sciences. I spent several years working as an independent management consultant and while it was a great experience the revenue stream was unreliable at best and the ability to work was highly contingent upon the economy. However, I can assure that my experiences as an independent management consultant were marketing different than those of consultants who work at the consulting firms like McKinsey or the Boston Consulting Group. For those of you interested in life style of a high-powered management consultant I highly recommend you visit their websites for more info. 

I invited Susan Colilla, PhD, MPH, President of the consulting firm Integrative Epidemiology LLC describe her experiences about becoming a life sciences consultant so that BioJobBlog job readers (who may be considering this as a career option), might get an idea and appreciate what it takes to get into and be successful in this line of work.

My Life as a Life Sciences Management Consultant

by Susan Colilla

After doing a second postdoc at University of Pennsylvania as an Instructor (nebulous junior non-faculty type position) and becoming frustrated with all the extensive work requirements for a tenure-track position, I started searching for a job in pharmaceutical industry.

While searching for a position, a potential employer, who didn’t have an opening at the time, asked if I would be interested in consulting.  As I was interested in this area, I started consulting for industry and realized that I enjoyed working on different projects in epidemiology and genetics, and loved that I could work from my home office and give up a commute. 

The flexibility in consulting is great.  I plan the work around my schedule, and the pay has been rewarding as well.  Last year, I formally incorporated my business, Integrative Epidemiology, LLC.  I offer services in literature reviews, study planning/design, data analysis and grant or manuscript writing in the areas of human genetics or epidemiology. 

As I build my business, I have learned about how to run a business, bookkeeping/billing, taxes, legal issues/contracts, and marketing.  Moving from academia to pharma/industry is tricky unless you have connections with those who hire in the industry.  One of the biggest challenges for me as a self-employed consultant is dedicating a good proportion of my time to networking with others and marketing my services, rather than doing science-related work.  It helps that I am very social by nature and enjoy meeting new people.

 I am also fortunate to be married to someone who makes a good income and receives benefits as this helps support our family.  There can be a sporadic flow of income with consulting, especially during a recession and new business slows down.  I have also partnered up with another consulting group (Venebio, LLC, based in Richmond, VA) to expand the pool of potential clients and work with a group of scientists to offer a broader range of services. 

For those of you who want to learn more about getting into the consultant business, Susan highly recommends an article that recently appeared in the Scientist. She shared with me that the article offers a great list of things to consider before starting a consultancy and that she “wished that she had seen it a couple years ago when I started out in this business!”

Until next time...

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!  

 

Alternate Careers for PhDs: Taking the Path Less Traveled

I suspect by the growing numbers of people who read BioJobBlog, that some of you may be beginning to wonder who I am. While nobody has taken me to task about my credentials or musings to date, I figured it may be worthwhile to share my “story” with those BioJobBlog readers who may be at a crossroads in their careers. I credit my graduate school experiences and PhD degree for the tenacity, perseverance and the ability to reinvent myself during an eclectic, and oft times, circuitous career path.  

Taking the Path Less Traveled

I had always liked science but by age 10, I had already decided that I wanted to be a veterinarian. However, after seeing the film Ben Hur at age 11—during which two of the main characters who have leprosy are miraculously cured—I fantasized what it might be like to be able to discover cures for infectious diseases. As corny as it may sound, the movie convinced me that my true calling in life wasn’t veterinary medicine but microbiology. Nevertheless, I attended Cornell University as a pre-veterinary medicine undergraduate with a dual major in animal science and microbiology. During my senior year at Cornell, Dr. Brooks Naylor, my food microbiology professor at the time, invited me to do a senior research project in his laboratory. After several weeks in the laboratory I was hooked and knew that graduate school and not veterinary school was in my future.

I entered graduate school in 1974 and did my PhD work in Bob Deibel’s laboratory in the Department of Bacteriology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison studying the pathogenesis of Salmonella gastroenteritis. Because Bob was Chairman of the Department and a food microbiology consultant, he wasn’t around much. This forced me to become self reliant and an independent investigator very early in my scientific career. Interestingly, when I started graduate school, my goal was to earn a PhD degree and teach microbiology at a small liberal arts college. However, after three years at Wisconsin, I decided to eschew a career as a science educator in favor of becoming a tenure track faculty member at a prestigious research institution.

I received my PhD degree in 1981and chose to do a postdoctoral fellowship with Stephen Morse in the Department of Microbiology at Oregon Health Sciences University where I investigated the pathogenesis of Neisseria gonorrhoeae. After two years in Stephen’s lab, I realized that the field of molecular biology had finally taken off and I needed to develop molecular biological skills to compete for my coveted tenure track faculty position. In 1984, I joined Howard Shuman’s laboratory as a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Microbiology at the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University in New York City where I studied the molecular pathogenesis of Legionella pneumophila, the causative agent of Legionnaires Disease.

In 1987, after spending three more years as a postdoctoral fellow, my newly acquired molecular biology training coupled with a respectable publication record helped me to land a tenure track faculty position in the Department of Microbiology at the University Of Miami School Of Medicine. I spent the next seven years feverishly doing laboratory research, teaching medical and graduate students, publishing papers and mainly writing grants to establish an independent research program on the role of lipopolysaccharide in the molecular pathogenesis of L. pneumophila. While I was a productive researcher, who regularly published and was recognized on several occasions for teaching excellence, I failed to consistently win grant support to run my laboratory. Consequently, in 1994, I was denied tenure and forced to leave academia—an emotionally devastating event that that ended a life-long dream of becoming a world class research scientist.

Luckily, at that time, the American biotechnology industry had finally hit its stride and I landed a job as a scientist at a New Jersey-based biotechnology company where I managed an antibacterial drug discovery program. My time in industry—which lasted only two years—provided me a firm understanding of the business side of science and perhaps, more importantly, convinced me that industrial research wasn’t for me. This, coupled with a yearning desire to teach again, prompted me to successfully apply for a job as Chairperson of Biology at a local community college. While a good idea at the time, I quickly realized that while I still loved to teach, administration wasn’t my strong suit and I left the community college job after a year.

Unfortunately, by 1998, I had effectively exhausted most traditional career options for scientists with PhD degrees and I desperately needed a job—mainly because I had a wife and three young children to support. Fortunately, while working at the community college, I successfully helped several professional recruiters place new hires into jobs at biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. This prompted me to seriously consider professional recruiting as a career option and in early 1999 I landed a job as a recruiter at a local recruiting firm. As a new hire I had to attend recruiter school for six weeks. Surprisingly, this training would prove to play a pivotal role in subsequent decisions that helped to shape my career.

After three successful years as professional recruiter, an Australian biotechnology company recruited and hired me as a science and business consultant to help guide their antibacterial drug discovery program. The new job led to an almost four year stint as an independent management consultant advising private and publicly-traded biotechnology companies on business, scientific and financial matters. Also during this time, I decided to indulge my own entrepreneurial fantasies and in 2001 I founded BioInsights (www.bioinsights.com), Inc, a bioscience education and training company. In 2003, Abe Abuchowski and I founded Prolong Pharmaceuticals (www.prolongpharmaceuticals.com) a drug delivery company with two drugs in early stage clinical development. Unfortunately, the rigorous demands of running BioInsights and starting Prolong ultimately led to the demise of my consulting practice and by 2004 I was forced to consider another career move.

Luckily, in 2002, I had begun to write for several biotechnology industry trade publications. Although I wasn’t getting paid to write, it enabled me to hone and polish my writing skills. In late 2004, a medical communications expert who I knew suggested that I take a stab at medical writing. At the time, I didn’t know much about medical writing but I quickly learned that it pays well and medical writers are always in demand. I took her advice and landed my first medical writing job in 2005. Since then, I have worked at a variety of medical communications agencies and pharmaceutical companies preparing manuscripts, posters, slide presentations and other work. Currently, I am freelance science and medical writer, blogger (www.biojobblog.com) and social media enthusiast who, along with Dr. Vincent Racaniello, started an online social networking site for bioscientists called BioCrowd (www.biocrowd.com)

Unlike most scientists, my career path has taken many unexpected twists and turns. I never intended it to be as eclectic or convoluted as it has turned out to be. Nevertheless, I believe that my unusual career trajectory has transformed me into a better rounded scientist than I would have been if I had been able to pursue my intended academic career. In retrospect, I attribute my career successes to solid problem solving skills, an unrelenting desire to continue to learn and an unwavering ability to take risks. Finally, and perhaps most important, I learned that there is no right or wrong career path in the life sciences—only the one that you choose for yourself!

Until next time...

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!

 

Film Review: "Naturally Obsessed: The Making of a Scientist"

People frequently ask me why I decided to get a PhD degree to become a scientist. For the past 30 years, I have tried to explain to people why I decided to spend seven long years of “blood, sweat and tears” to attain that elusive degree. While anyone who has earned a PhD degree understands what drove them to do it, it is difficult to explain to others that the decision has little to do with career paths and salary considerations and is largely driven by passion— and perhaps more aptly—obsession. That is why Carole and Richard Rifkin’s film “Naturally Obsessed: The Making of Scientist”—an emotional and gritty film that follows the lives of three Columbia graduate students on their quest to obtaining their PhD degrees—is resonating with scientists, students and the public.

The film, which took five years to make and was launched in March 2009, follows the progress of three X-ray crystallography graduate students, Rob, Killington (Kil) and Gabrielle, who worked in Larry Shapiro’s laboratory at Columbia University Medical Center. Work in Larry’s laboratory focuses on elucidating the X-crystallographic structure of proteins that are thought to be involved in appetite control. While Rob, Kil and Gabrielle share a common goal—getting a PhD degree—they are very different people. Rob is a rebellious, boisterous, self-assured free thinker (who was thrown out of a previous laboratory) whereas Kil is a more staid, soft spoken pragmatist from the Midwest. Gabrielle, who returned to graduate school to pursue a PhD degree after a stint as a laboratory technician at a company, loves science but isn’t certain that she has the mettle to realize her dream. Each of them understands that time is of the essence and they work feverishly and unrelentingly  to insure that their competitors don't beat them to the punch and publish first!

Despite their obvious personality differences, each is driven and obsessed with producing perfectly-formed protein crystals that are suitable for X-ray crystallography analysis. The film accurately and painstakingly depicts the inevitable emotional “ups and downs” of laboratory research, the personal struggles and the often difficult life decisions that are made when pursuing a PhD degree. In the end, Rob, Kil and Laura find their own career paths as scientists and perhaps, more importantly. come to terms with the decisions that they made during their journeys.

Carole, a documentary filmmaker, and Richard, Chairman Emeritus of the Sloan-Kettering Institute and founding Chairman of the New York Structural Biology Center, made the film to portray the “reality of doing science” and raise awareness about scientific research. The film emphasizes that science, like art, requires creativity, persistence and unyielding commitment and dedication. The Rifkinds interviewed many NYC-based academic laboratories before choosing Larry Shapiro’s laboratory as the subject of their documentary film. Larry’s laboratory was chosen because X-crystallography is visual (and lends itself to film making) and Carol had a hunch that “there was a story to be told there.”

During a recent interview with the Rifkinds, I mentioned that if I had seen the film as a high school or undergraduate student, I probably would have skipped graduate school. Carole responded and said, “Yes, the hard work and emotional challenges portrayed in the film might turn some students off but we wanted to portray scientific research the way it is and remain true to its realities.” She added, "while the film focuses on science graduate students it is also relevant and accurately reflects the trials and tribulations experienced by PhD students in the humanities and the arts.” 

One of the more troubling moments of the film for me is when Larry mentions that scientists, like artists, “represent the fringe of society.” The fact that a prominent, successful scientist views himself as different, and on the fringes of society, doesn’t bode well for the public perception of science or scientists for that matter. Another troubling aspect of the film is that Rob, Kil and Gabrielle are clearly being groomed for academic careers despite the fact that roughly only 10% of life sciences PhDs secure academic positions at the end of their training. I pointed this out to Richard and he said that he agrees that it is a troubling trend and that “alternate career options for PhDs is the subject of Carole's  and his next film.”

Since it launch in March, the film has been screened at over 60 high schools, colleges, medical schools, professional science associations, government agencies and biotechnology companies. While the film may not be “right” for everyone, it is a must see for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows and for members of the public who want a rare glimpse into the emotionally-charged and highly competitive world of scientific research. For those of you, who may be interested in arranging a screening, please visit the Naturally Obsessed: The Making of a Scientist website or contact Hayley

Until next time....

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!

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Social Media Manager--A New Career Option for PhD Life Scientists?

While life sciences companies are still reluctant to take the “social media plunge,” many other companies (with active social media programs) frequently hire employees known as social media managers who oversee and run their social networks.  This is because successful social media websites require daily attention and are extremely time consuming and labor intensive. In general, employees who are hired for these jobs have strong backgrounds in social media and technology but frequently possess little expertise in the industry that they are working in. Because social media is so new, many hiring managers believe that the social media and technology skills of these managers are more important than an understanding of the industry that they work in. However, while this practice may be acceptable in other industries, it won’t be the case for the social media managers who oversee pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical devices and diagnostics social media websites. These managers will likely be required to have a firm understanding of current rules and regulations guiding drug development and marketing and advertising of approved life sciences products. This will be necessary if the drug makers who hire these managers want to steer clear of regulatory scrutiny by the US Food and Drug Administration and other regulatory agencies.

Based on my experiences as an industrial scientist and more recently as a social media manager, a person with a PhD degree with at least one course in regulatory affairs, good oral and written communication skills and an interest in social media ought to be an ideal candidate for these positions. To that end, those of you who may be interested in this newly, emerging career path option ought to begin training as soon as possible—these jobs will be in high demand at life sciences companies, medical communications agencies and conference organizers in the next year or so!

Until next time....

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Alternate Career Ideas for Life Scientists

After yesterday's post about career planning for life scientists, one of my soon to be former students in the Fundamentals of Bioscience Program aptly pointed out that my readers might have benefitted more if I had, in fact, offered information about alternate career possibilities for bioscientists.  I don't want the student to get too overconfident but I had the same thought immediately after I uploaded the post.  

Rather than modify the previous post, I decided to upload the presentation that I gave to the U Penn Graduate Student Biomedical Association yesterday.  However, as many of my former (or soon to be former) students will tell you, my PowerPoint presentations, while informative, are not as complete as you might think.  To get the real skinny on alternate careers, you will have to attend one of my seminars on the topic where I provide attendees with additional pearls of wisdom and some funny stories about my own journey along an oft times circuitous career path!

Until next time.....

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting

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Career Planning for Life Scientists

Yesterday, I gave a lecture entitled “Alternate Careers: Taking the Road Less Traveled” to over 100 members of the University of Pennsylvania’s Biomedical Graduate Student Association. As always, there were many good questions and comments during and after the presentation. Some of the career anecdotes offered by several of the students reminded me of a conversation that I had several weeks ago with one of my Fundamentals of Bioscience students—I teach a Product Development and Regulatory Affairs course in the program—who refreshed my memory about a typical graduate student approach to career development and job searching. “We don’t think about jobs or our careers until we begin writing our PhD theses” she said. “Until then, our advisers don’t talk about careers or jobs and only bring it up because our funding will run out” she added. Admittedly, I had forgotten this because so many years have passed since my graduate student days. That said, it forced me to consider how much the life sciences job market has changed since I was graduate student and how vitally important it is for today’s graduate students to think about and possibly explore different career options throughout the course of their graduate training.

Historically, there were very few career options for life scientists—it was either a tenure track faculty appointment or, as a poor second choice, a job at a pharmaceutical or biotechnology. Unfortunately, academics jobs are hard to come by and since 2007 over 60,000 pharmaceutical R&D scientists have lost their jobs and more cuts are expected. Also, many of these jobs are likely come back after the economy improves because many of the R&D activities performed by these scientists are being outsourced to India, China and elsewhere. This suggests that a majority of life sciences graduate students who receive their PhDs within the next few years won’t be able to secure traditional life sciences jobs. While a majority of US life sciences graduate training programs recognize and understand the implications of the changing job market, many are reluctant to discuss alternate career options with graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. Even fewer, encourage or support students or postdoctoral fellows who want to engage in “extracurricular activities” to explore alternate career options. In fact, several U Penn students told me that they have to obtain written permission from their adviser before they can take courses or participate in extra-departmental activities. As one student quipped “What I do on my own time should be my business not my boss's.”

I always conclude my alternate career talk by saying “Nobody ever guaranteed you a job after completion of your PhD or postdoctoral training.” And, “if you wanted a job after completing your education, you ought to have gone to medical school, dental school, law school or any other profession that requires licensure to practice your craft.” While this may sound harsh, I believe that the decision to get a PhD is a personal one and based on discussion with many of my colleagues, most didn’t enter graduate school expecting a job to be waiting them when they completed their training. Nevertheless, I contend that graduate departments that continue to train and prepare students for traditional academic careers —knowing that over 90% won’t find jobs (other than postdocs) after their training is finished —are being disingenuous and even deceitful. Why haven’t academician realized that there is a plethora of job opportunities for life scientists outside of academia?

Like it or not, the life sciences job market has undergone radical changes in the past decade. Unfortunately, academics continue to adhere to dogmatic and anachronistic ideas and practices that don’t prepare their students and postdoctoral fellows for jobs in “the real world.” I contend that informing and enlightening graduate students about alternate career paths and, allowing them to explore some of these opportunities will not impede or hinder laboratory research. Instead, I believe it would help to improve and expedite its progress. As one U Penn graduate student shared with me over a couple of beers “If they would just tell us the truth and give us some idea about our options, it would certainly improve morale, reduce our anxiety and allow us to focus on our research because we would know what is out there!” As the old adage goes”ignorance is bliss.” But, in my experience, knowledge is power!

Until next time....

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!!!!

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Certificate Programs Can Help Scientists Transition to Alternative Careers

By now, I think that most BioJobBlog readers understand that the job market for life scientists is lousy and that it isn’t likely to improve anytime soon. I know that many of you have spent close to 10 years training for a shot at an R&D job but the reality is that everybody needs to work to put food on the table—whether or not you find a job in your chosen profession. To that end, now may be a good time for those of you who are finding it difficult to land a job to consider one more year of training to get a certificate in a field that keeps you in science but not in R&D.

I came across interesting post today at the Resume Bear blog that discussed 10 certificate programs that can help people transition to new careers to find jobs. Interestingly, four of the programs are good fits for life scientists who are willing modify their careers to be gainfully employed. They are:

Clinical Trials Design and Management

“Pharmaceutical drug and medical device development is one of the premier industries of the 21st century, and the success of this vital industry depends upon the complex process of studying new products to verify their effectiveness and safety.”

Regulatory Affairs

Professionals are needed to guide drug development and medical device companies through FDA imposed regulation issues pertinent to the pharmaceutical and biological industry.”

Project Management

“As project cycles get shorter – and budgets get leaner – project managers are vital to the success of organizations today.”

Copyediting

“Bridging the gap between writers and publishers – especially technical and nonfiction copyediting – is one of today’s most marketable skills for both full-time and freelance work.”

Another one that was not on the list biotechnology certificate programs in which students learn about product development, regulatory affairs and best business practices in the life sciences industry.

Not surprisingly, many certificate programs are offered at local community colleges and frequently online. For regulatory affairs training you might try the Drug Information Association and Regulatory Affairs Professionals Society. The Project Management Institute offers training in project management and the Editorial Freelancers Association offers its members courses in copyediting. Mercer County College in West Windsor NJ in association with a local clinical research organization developed a “hands-on” certificate program in clinical trials design and management

In my opinion, certificate programs are worth checking out. They are designed for working professionals (courses are typically given in the evenings and weekends); usually only take 12 months to complete (what is one more year in the scheme of things) and improves the likelihood of finding a job because you now have a marketable skill set! It certainly beats collecting unemployment or sleeping in your old bed at your parent’s home—or not?

Hat tip to Resume Bear

Until next time...

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A New Life Sciences Career Option: Health Informatics

Are you a life sciences or healthcare professional with a passion for computers, IT or software development? If so, you might want to consider a career in health informatics—one of the hottest, new fields in the life sciences and healthcare industries. Health informatics specialists typically have expertise in medical records and claims, clinical care and programming. In other words, they have a foot in two worlds— medicine and technology — and can easily bridge the often daunting gap between them. It is important to point out that there is a difference between healthcare IT and informatics personnel. The health IT people run the servers and install software, but the informatics people are the ones who analyze and interpret clinical/ medical information and work with clinical and other healthcare staff to advise and help them.

According to an article in this Sunday’s NY Times, health informatics specialists usually start as computer programmers or as doctors, nurses, pharmacists or health record administrators. After earning a graduate health informatics degree, they find jobs as mid level or senior employees at hospitals, doctor’s offices, insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies or other organizations concerned with health data. Mid level jobs, like those for clinical analysts or informatics analysts, are usually about $70,000 a year, but salaries can be much higher for more senior level positions.  Senior level jobs, which sometimes require a Ph.D., include chief clinical information officer or other management/leadership roles at medical devices, life sciences or insurance companies. Consulting firms are also hiring health informatics experts to serve many of their health care clients who frequently don’t have the resources to hire permanent informatics staff.

At present there are no educational, licensing or credential requirements to become a health informaticist. However, a growing need for health informaticists has resulted in the creation of a number of degree programs at two and four year colleges and universities. For example, within the past four years, Columbia University, St. Louis University, the University of Minnesota and Oregon Health and Science University have all added master’s programs or certificates in health informatics. Other schools offer short courses or part-time certificate programs to healthcare employees or programmers. Still others are adding undergraduate majors or associates degrees programs to their curricula.

While many schools are beginning to offer health informatics programs, not all informatics programs are “created equal.” Generally speaking, “medical” or “biomedical” informatics programs focus on data that doctors need for treating patients. Bioinformatics” programs concentrate on biological or genetic data, while “health informatics” programs often emphasize clinical data and health records. Even among programs with the same name, the emphasis and expertise may vary at different institutions that offer the training.

By all accounts, health informatics —despite some early confusion—is one of the fastest growing careers in the bioscience and healthcare fields. Unlike other fields in the shrinking life sciences industry, there are plenty of jobs out there for health informaticists. Ironically, the failing US economy is what is driving the growth of the health informatics industry. The US government’s economic stimulus package has allocated $19 billion to hastening the adoption of electronic health records, so demand for health informatics specialists is skyrocketing. “My rough estimate is that we need about 70,000 health informaticists,” said Don E. Detmer, president and chief executive of the American Medical Informatics Association, a nonprofit industry group.

However, as a word of caution, it usually takes more than technical skills and an understanding of health care to succeed as a health informaticist. Diplomacy and conflict resolution skills are crucial when dealing with two potentially contentious groups: healthcare workers and programmers. Nevertheless, healthcare informatics is an ideal field for bioscientists and healthcare workers who also like to work with technology, computers or develop software. Based on my recent experiences as a bioscience career counselor, I know that there are thousands of you out there that fit this description. Now be the time to take a closer look at the exciting, new field of health informatics to determine whether or not it may be a career option for you!

Until next time...

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!!!!

 

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Alternate Career Paths: Taking the Road Less Traveled

For the past five years, I have been giving career development seminars that offer graduate students and postdoctoral fellows alternate careers choices (instead of research) for life scientists. The intent of these seminars is to get students who may not be enamored with a possible life long career at the bench (I know that there a lot of you out there) to think about what they really want to do after they complete their graduate or postdoctoral training.

I recently met Jane Chin (on Twitter) who, like me, has had an unorthodox career trajectory for a life scientist. After exchanging several tweets, I learned that we both are microbiologists, Cornell University graduates, entrepreneurs and social media enthusiasts. But, the main reason I am telling you about Jane is that she crafted a fascinating PowerPoint presentation entitled “3 Lessons About Career Life From a Career Nomad” that provides insights into the decisions and choices that she made to shape her current career path. I highly recommend that you take a peek at the presentation—it may help to reduce some future career stress and angst!

Until next time…

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!

 

10 Reasons Why Life Sciences PhDs Ought to Consider Medical/Science Writing as a Career

I became a medical/science writer after a rather circuitous, unconventional and sometimes, checkered career. Along the way, I learned a few things that I thought would be important to share with other PhDs who are seeking to change careers, t broaden their horizons and or simply to bring home a paycheck! I am sure that I missed a few things but here are my top 10 reasons to consider a career in medical/science writing:

 

10. Academic and industrial jobs are scare 
9.   No postdoctoral training is required
8.   Previous industrial experience is not a prerequisite for employment
7.   No laboratory work must be done to publish
6.   Starting salaries range from $40-$50 per hour or $75-90K annually 
5    There is a growing need for therapeutic area content experts
4.   Assignments change regularly and there is an enormous of amount of flexibility in when    and how you work 
3    Although a writer doesn’t perform any laboratory work, there is an opportunity to utilize the scientific skill sets (data analysis, thinking and problem solving) that you learned during your graduate training
2.   Even when times get tough, writers are always in high demand because publishing is the life blood of science
1.  You enjoy writing, thinking creatively and working with an eclectic bunch of people who are not scientists!

Until next time..... 

Good Luck and Good Writing!!!!!!!!