Working Scientist Tips and tricks to plan your career in science
Sep 11, 2025
In this insightful discussion, Sarah Blackford, an academic careers coach, shares frameworks for long-term career planning, including her PhD Career Choice Indicator. Julia Yates, an organizational psychology professor, highlights the importance of informal career strategies used by recent grads. Theoretical physicist Robert Dijkraaf discusses interconnections in scientific careers and the necessity for adaptability in a changing environment. Together, they emphasize reflection, investigation, and preparation as keys to navigating meaningful scientific career paths.
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Be Intentional And Check In Regularly
- Be intentional about your career by regularly checking if you're where you want to be.
- Ask whether you have the skills and relationships needed to reach your next goal.
Career Planning As Experiential Learning
- Career planning is a form of experiential learning that cycles experience, evaluation, and action.
- Use systematic reflection to convert experiences into clearer career decisions.
Plan Your Career Like An Experiment
- Treat career planning like planning an experiment: define aims, gather information, run iterations, and reflect.
- Use the same structured approach you apply in research to plan transitions between roles.