Originally published April 5, 2022
When we change careers, sometimes it's hard to remember that we have skills that qualify us to work in so many different areas. Here's a reminder of some superpowers that you might be forgetting that you carry with you!
As a biomedical scientist, in order to "succeed" at your PhD, there is often intense focus on getting experiments to work. Lots of troubleshooting, lots of learning new techniques, lots of technical adjustments. In many ways, we learn to tie our perception of "success" in our work to how good we are at the bench. But really, the ability to complete a PhD demonstrates so much more than technical skills, and it's important to remember these other superpowers when thinking about the next step in your career. Here are a few:
Ability to contextualize information
Perseverance
Communication & presentation skills
Conflict management
People management (undergrads, other trainees)
Teamwork
Time management (i.e., scheduling complex experiments around equipment availability, other obligations)
Commitment to long-term goals
Advocating for your thoughts/ideas (leadership!)
Learning & incorporating new knowledge
Independent thinking
Designing a research or strategic plan
Understanding of how to interpret the strengths, limitations, and reliability of data
Critical thinking
Ability to accept failure, adapt, and move forward
In my opinion, it's incredibly important to be able to articulate these superpowers, both to be able to demonstrate your potential for impact to potential employers (both within and outside of bench research careers), AND, perhaps more importantly, to remind yourself of how much you have achieved! Sometimes the biggest thing holding us back from going after our dream job is feeling that we aren't qualified. But please remember - you are a collection of MANY superpowers that can be used in so many ways to make a difference in the world. The question is really this -- how do you want to use these superpowers to pursue fulfillment and impact? Because you already have what you need to succeed.
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