For several months, I have been fighting to try and figure out what I want do next in my professional life. Some of this internal fighting is the result of not knowing what’s out there, some of it stems from the limited opportunities that the current economy affords and some of it from not having a true mentor to guide me. There are other more minor reasons, but nonetheless this is the first time where it’s not entirely obvious to me what I should do next or where I should focus my efforts. I have decided that it might be a useful exercise to write a blog listing out the opportunities I see for me now that I have completed my PhD in biomedical/life sciences. I realize that many of the people in my network have been in similar situations and am hopeful that this exercise will serve as a starting point for discussions with you about your career choices, the pathways that led you to choose that career and as a means for me to learn about other non-traditional opportunities in the life sciences. The discussion and the blog entries that follow might also serve to provide insight into the mind, the thought processes and the trials and tribulations associated with beginning a career in the life sciences.
1. New Academic Postdoc
Before I really tackle this, let me describe for you my typical career conversation with a professor in academia:
Artie: Hi, Dr. (Fill in the Blank). I’m here to talk to you about my future.
Dr. (Fill in the Blank): Well, Artie…That’s an easy decision, you should do an academic postdoc and become a professor.
Artie: Well professor, I was thinking of trying something different. Maybe industry, biotech, patent law or something else altogether. Would you be willing to support me in such endeavors?
Dr. (Fill in the Blank): ARTIE, ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND? THIS IS NONSENSE! BLASPHEMY! YOU WILL HATE INDUSTRY AND EVERYTHING ABOUT IT. YOU WILL NEVER SURVIVE, I COULDN’T SEE YOU BEING HAPPY AND YOU ARE CLEARLY NOT SUITED FOR THAT. Do a postdoc in MY lab.
You get the picture. My major issue with jumping straight into a new postdoc position is that it’s ALL I KNOW and ALL I’VE KNOWN for the last decade. I’ve been doing research in an academic lab since I was 18 and as a result of my “grad school” undergrad experience, I consider the latter half of my graduate school experience to be like my first postdoc. If I pursue this avenue, I won’t really be expanding my knowledge of the world outside of academia and the ways in which scientists outside of Universities approach disease-oriented research. On one hand, an academic postdoc will allow me to tackle a new project and potentially expose me to new ways of thinking about biological problems but on the other it doesn’t seem like I will learn about many of the things I am most interested in (e.g. business, truly preclinical R & D, efficiency, technology, FDA, etc). On the plus side, I have thrived in this environment and have no reason to believe I won’t continue to but on the minus side, I feel that it would be deja vu for me and somewhat boring. It’s not that I’ve ruled this out entirely, I just think that as a scientist I could really add to the tools in my arsenal by approaching research and drug development from a non-academic angle, especially in a more business like environment, that stresses efficiency, focus and endpoints. That way, if I did decide I wanted to become a professor one day, not only would I be better able to succeed at my job but I wouldn’t be Dr. (Fill in The Blank) whom can’t provide insight about what else is out there as a result of not experiencing it.
2. Continue in Current Lab
I am currently finishing up some research in the lab I completed my graduate studies in and I have the opportunity available to continue to do research here; however, to say that continuing to do research in your graduate lab is frowned upon would be an understatement especially if you are using it to try to advance your career in the academic world. The rationale behind this philosophy is mostly understandable and makes sense under many circumstances, but the conviction with which the various people in the academic world adhere to this ideal is mind-boggling. I’ll spare you the details of my journey down this road up to this point and just say that the typical response from Dr. (Fill in the blank) was: “ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR BLEEPING MIND? IF I’M ON A REVIEW PANEL, I WON’T EVEN READ A GRANT, NOR DO I KNOW ANYONE THAT WOULD, THAT INVOLVES RESEARCH THAT ORIGINATED OR IS ASSOCIATED WITH THE GRADUATE MENTOR’S LAB. I DON’T READ THE LETTERS OF REC NOR DO I EVEN CONSIDER THE JUSTIFICATION FOR DOING SO…” From my biased perspective, the philosophy that one should not read or even consider a grant just because the work is associated with the graduate lab is absurd. Is it impossible to write a grant that is clearly distinct from the graduate work and that involves entirely different tools and pathways than the student was exposed to during graduate school? Is it impossible that the graduate work opened up a new field and thereby countless opportunities to pursue that the PI just might not have enough time to pursue or consider? Is it ridiculous or crazy to think that someone who spent the last 5 years learning about the field and as a result, knows the most in the world about it might be a decent candidate to help move the work forward? Is it impossible for a new PhD to write a grant that is not only novel, but more well written and more likely to produce compelling publications down the road than other postdoctoral fellows? After all, I thought that’s what they went to school to learn to do….isn’t it possible that some actually learned? I digress, the point is that it is frustrating to me to have learned that an application or candidate is likely to be excluded from consideration merely because they are proposing to work on a project somewhat similar to their graduate work. Needless to say, going in this direction would be an uphill battle and I have been advised that the road to getting a fellowship is much harder without changing institutions and labs. It has also been suggested that continuing your graduate work is likely career suicide (For the record, I don’t believe this). Knowing this information might stop me from wasting time on fellowship applications but it won’t stop me from continuing to deliver presentations, publications and novel insights into the field I have uncovered….at least, until I decide what is next for me.
3. Start-up Company
The old do it yourself gene has been passed from my grandpa to my dad to me. It’s a tough road for me to resist and seems to be the type of endeavor that would stimulate my mind and provide me with the new and ambitious goals I am seeking. I have some background in starting and maintaining a company, so I have some idea of what I am getting myself into. My previous foray into the world of a biotechnology company began during my 2nd year of graduate school when a professor on my exam committee liked my proposal idea so much that he set me up with a venture group. After some time, the idea became a business plan, ultimately received some funding and entered the lab. The experiments went surprisingly well and I obtained the data I had initially set out to. This data turned out to be very publishable and significant, and at a minimum I plan to publish the results. The ultimate goal of this company was to generate enough proof of principle data to submit a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant to fund future experiments; however, this stalled because the stress of running my own business while going to graduate school and maintaining a household began to weigh on me. Further, I knew it was in my best interest to complete my PhD before committing to this type of project full time and that I likely needed a PhD to be a competitive grant applicant.
Now that I have my PhD, it probably seems like I put myself in a good position to pursue this full time. Well at least in my mind, things are slightly more complicated. First, a few days after I received my PhD a professor asked me to help found and ultimately run a company around a device that would be used to help combat the obesity epidemic in this country. Initially, I was reluctant because I couldn’t envision using the product myself but after much time, I have managed to create a plan to make the device into something I could imagine millions of people buying and using. Most friends and colleagues seem to agree that a lot of people would be interesting in using said device. What is so comforting about this opportunity is that it clearly demonstrates that there is a least one person out there who really believes in me, who sees something in me and knows that I am capable and likely to do really big things in this world. The major issue with this project for me is that it is outside of my area of expertise, at least technically. While I know he brought me on board because he thinks I can deliver and I know that my PhD and other experiences have made me an expert in finding ways to learn (and to outsource) in order solve complex problems, I have zero background in the design of software and medical devices. The second complication comes from the fact that the diabetes work that I previously patented and that I have been pursuing for the past 4.5 years has taken off in recent months and it is finally clear that these proteins are key drivers of insulin secretion. There is significant interest from several companies in funding this work. Given my expertise in the area and that several indications could benefit from diagnostic and therapeutic molecules towards these proteins, it seems to make the most sense to start a company around my upcoming publications in these areas.
So as each day passes, I become more and more overwhelmed by these opportunities and further conflicted about which one of these ideas I should pursue if I go the start-up company route. Although I somehow manage to continue to push each one forward, I know that the time has come to either pick one or let them all go and move forward. It’s hard for me though, for some reason some part of me actually believes it’s feasible to pursue and/or write plans or grants around each of them. Deep down, I know I can make any one of these successful. Hell, I already consider my first company to be a huge success. I came up with my own idea for a treatment for Alzheimer’s, networked, learned about business from some of the best in San Diego, started a lab and conducted meaningful experiments. No, I didn’t make a penny but the learning experience was worth more than a million bucks. What I see in these ideas is not the potential to make a lot of money but the potential for another learning experience, an opportunity to network and learn from others, to demonstrate what I am capable of and prove that I can come up with, manage and execute ideas. In time, I believe this route can lead to a wealth of new and exciting opportunities for me.
Why if I’m so certain I can form a successful start-up company haven’t I already left academia to pursue these ideas full-time? Well besides lacking focus on any one particular project and being extremely conflicted about what is best for me, I think I could benefit from working alongside someone who has already established themselves in the biotechnology and start-up arena on a project they have already began to develop. Being in a more financially supportive environment that teaches me more about the ins and outs of the business can only benefit, establish and more fully prepare me for any start-up project I pursue down the road.
4. Industrial Postdoc/Position
Thus far, I haven’t had much success locating too many truly industrial postdocs nor have I been able to speak to too many people out there who have earned such a position. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of these available. Genentech seems to be the only major company that advertises and encourages these positions. It’s surprising to me that companies don’t offer more of these, given that they can hire some great and motivated talent for about half the price of a normal position. It also offers companies the opportunity to mold their future scientists themselves rather than after one or several more academic postdocs where one can pick up habits that aren’t consistent with industrial philisophies. I have come across a few foundations that offer what I consider to be a hybrid between an academic and industrial postdoc and even interviewed for one a few weeks prior to my thesis defense. Needless to say, that particular opportunity wasn’t for me.
As for industrial positions, I have applied for a handful on websites and a few more through recruiting agencies. Although in a few cases, my resume listed out identically what the recruiter was looking for and I highlighted this in my cover letter, I have yet to hear back from any recruiting firm regarding a preliminary interview for a position. These agencies seem to be conservative, in that they do not want to take a chance on a recent graduate. Further, they seem to cater to searches for more advanced positions and they may not have many of the entry positions available for which they consider me to be qualified for.
The benefit of this type of opportunity for me is that I will have a new experience guided by entirely new rules and a whole distinct set of tools. This experience likely will teach me about focus and efficiency, concepts that aren’t exactly stressed in the academic world. In such a position, I could observe the business side, participate in truly preclinical research & development projects and learn how to coordinate with many people all trying to attain the same goal. I don’t see how being exposed to any of these things could hurt me with my long-term goals.
5. More School
If my Dad or Mom reads this section, they are likely to be on the first plane out to San Diego to strangle me. I’m not going to expand too much on the topic for their sakes, other than to say the thought has crossed my mind to attend law school or maybe even medical school. If I did this though, I think it would just be my way of prolonging the real world and the inevitable decisions that come with entering it.
Like most new PhDs, I am ill-prepared for the real world and I clearly lack focus. I’m not sure which one of the above-mentioned opportunities is best for me and as you probably realized, I’m not even sure what I want. I do know that I have acquired many hats and intangible qualities in the past that will help me continue to be successful in the future. I also know that by continuing to expand my network and by interviewing with many different people in the area that there is definitely someone out there who has been in my position and is willing to help me find my way. The question is, where are you?
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