Decision-making
‘What can I do?’ vs ‘What do I want to do?’
‘Which jobs can I apply for with my background in X, or which companies are looking for this background?’ is a question that comes up in career counseling every now and then. Clearly, having to find a job that fits is a big choice. What makes it even harder, is that many competencies that are important requirements for a future job are just taken for granted in academia.
Why is career planning so hard when things happen to fall in place for everyone else?
‘It seemed so easy for all of you, but I have no idea where I want to go – how did you know?’ was a frequent comment after our Nonlinear Career Paths event in October. Why do careers seem so hard when it comes to deciding on the next step, when in retrospect, they seem to just have happened? ‘I met this person, and then one thing led to the other, and now I have my dream job’ or ‘I never imagined myself in this place but X happened, and got me interested in Y, so now I am here’, are frequent answers when asking people how they got to the position where they are today. Do you have to be lucky, or can you plan a career?
What is it that led you to give up your professorship?
This question showed up in my LinkedIn inbox a few days ago, out of the blue, asked by a person I had collaborated with a decade ago and not had any contact since. Clearly, my decision to leave academia made an impact. But what were the reasons, anyway?
Will I have to start all over again when moving away from academia?
‘If I change to industry or the public administration, does that mean I have to start all over again?’ is a question that is often asked in career counseling sessions one way or another. Clearly, after having invested so much time and energy in your education and your research project, the last thing you would want is starting from scratch. But do you really have to start all over again when you change career direction? And what is so bad about a fresh start?
You must be crazy! Why would someone with your track record leave science?
You are good at your job, you are successful, you have achieved what most of us are aiming for, you are inspiring the new generation. How can you think about doing something else? What would the community do without you? Who will take care of the lab?
People having opinions about our career choices is inevitable. How do you deal with it? And what happens when you decide to follow a path that others think is crazy?