What am I supposed to do with my career?

This question is the reason why I started this blog. I was so confused about what to do after graduation. The only clear career path I knew about was academia, but there is obviously much more you can do with a degree in life sciences. In fact, there is so much out there, that nobody can tell you what you should do, but others can help you find your way. And that's exactly what I'm going to do.

The PhD experience worldwide

The most popular career path after graduation in Life Sciences is definitely academia, starting with a PhD. You could do your PhD anywhere in the world and you will find it is slightly different in each country. I was wondering what the differences are, so I’ve been collecting info from PhD candidates all over the world. Here is the result.

Fake it till you become it

Body language matters. Non-verbal communication is at least as important as what you actually say, especially during job interviews. What is the point of trying to convince someone when your body language isn’t in line with whatever you say? You have to be confident. But what if you are too nervous, or suddenly feel too intimidated to give all the answers like you prepared them. You should try power posing!

Academia vs. Industry

I went to the BCF career event last Thursday. It is the place to be if you are looking for jobs or new connections in life sciences, chemistry, food or pharma. Every company or recruitment agency has their own stand. You can get career advice and tips for your cv. There are also many presentations/discussions/workshops, and one of them got me thinking: ‘academia vs. industry’.

Teach. Inspire. Motivate.

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This week’s post is about teaching! I visited my former high school two weeks ago because there was an open day/reunion. I spoke to some of my teachers about their careers and experiences. I also spoke with an Education Master student, who wants to become a biology teacher and spent one day at a high school where I got a chance to see what it’s like to be a teacher.

The PhD interview

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One day you wonder if you will ever get a call for a PhD interview after sending those applications. The next day you are preparing for three different interviews and you wish you just had a little more time. That is what happened to me last week, and I’d like to share my PhD interview experiences with you.

Entrepreneur? Don’t be afraid, just do it!

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As I promised you, I will try to find out as much as possible about career opportunities for graduates in Life Sciences. Yesterday was one of the more inspiring days (but unfortunately it was too late to still post about it. Sorry!). I attended two talks about sustainable entrepreneurship. I’m all pro sustainable lifestyle, but that’s not what I’m going to write about today. Let’s just focus on the entrepreneurship itself. It all comes down to this: if you have a good idea, just do it!

What I never knew about working as an account manager

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A few years ago I created a LinkedIn profile, because I was told it could be useful for job searching in the future. For a long time I was not actively using my profile, and the only people checking my page were friends and family, and one curious researcher after I had a job interview with her. Until the day I changed my professional headline, you know, that one line of information about your current position below your name. The next day I was contacted by a recruiter who wanted to discuss a job opportunity as an account manager within a biotech company.

Are you prepared for the start of your career?

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Maybe you are doing life science related studies and you know exactly what you want to do next. That's great! 

Maybe you started your studies recently and you are not worried yet about what's next. Fine.

Maybe you graduated and found a job that suits you in no time. Amazing!

But maybe you recently graduated (or will soon) and you have no idea what to do next. Shit..