Name: Anonymous
 
Field: Marine Biology/Ecology
 
Job/position: Visiting Assistant Professor in Biology
 
How long have you been working in this field? 12 years
 
What kind of story would you like to share? Life struggle story

Name: Cara Gormally
 
Field: Biology education research/Plant Biology
 
Job/position: Assistant Professor
 
How long have you been working in this field? 6 years
 
What kind of story would you like to share? Challenges in research (sometimes experiments fail through no fault of your own)

Name: Anonymous
 
Field: Systems Biology
 
Job/position: Doctoral Student
 
How long have you been working in this field? 2 years
 
What kind of story would you like to share? Life struggle story

Name: Mary
 
Field: Evolution
 
Job/position: Postdoc
 
How long have you been working in this field? 12 years
 
What kind of story would you like to share? Life struggle story

By Sadaf Atarod

Disclaimer: views expressed herein are those of Dr. Mojarad and do not necessarily reflect the views of the author, the editorial staff, or The Scientista Foundation.

Advancements in STEM have created a vast array of career opportunities. Traditional career paths where one works for 20 years in the same company, retiring with a glow of loyalty and a retirement check, are lesser heard of these days. The Y-Generation is more enticed by riskier job offers and is ready to hunt down careers that are new, unique, and have less-defined hierarchical growth paths.

As a scientist in the life sciences, I am always curious to find how I can shape my career into one that is able to meet my scientific aspirations, personality, and desire to bring out social change, so meeting Dr. Shirin Mojarad, organizer of the Data Scientist Meetup event at McGraw-Hill Education, was a great chance at finding out about one of the most talked-about career paths for scientists. During the networking session, I chatted with Shirin to find out more about what it takes to become a Data Scientist, how one can enter this industry, and what’s actually out there to help individuals interested in this field to develop their skill sets.

By Lidiya Angelova-Duleva

Public speaking is not a usual part of the science curriculum, despite the many group meetings and conference presentations that students—and employed scientists!—need to do. Standing and speaking in front of an audience can be overwhelming, even for a naturally good speaker. When I was in high school, I was terrified of presenting, but after attending lots of conferences, making my own presentations, and a year’s membership in the Toastmasters (a communication and leadership development group), I learned that being a good speaker is not difficult, and anyone can learn how to do it. Here are some useful tips that I learned:

By Sadaf Atarod

As the title spells out, that’s exactly what every acquaintance, loved one, and colleague (who wished they could ship me off in a sealed box to a remote lab) did ask at every opportunity towards the end of my Ph.D. studies—and more often than not after I had passed my defense! I did have a plan, as I usually do, and knew what I wanted to do and to where I was heading. The naïveté I had then: I actually thought that the scientific community would surely welcome the enthusiastic, perseverant, young scientist bubbling with new ideas! Let me tell you, I was wrong. That isn’t how careers start for many scientists! However, in the end it all turned out in my favor, and having condensed months of trying several routes to kick-start my own career in science, I’m here now to share some major lessons and tips to help you figure out what you want to do after getting your Ph.D.

By Amy L. Kullas, Ph.D.

If you are hoping to learn a lot about a field and expand your professional network, informational interviews are a wonderful tool! Informational interviews are great ways to explore and get information about diverse career paths and opportunities. At the same time, informational interviews are a good way to make a connection, as people generally accept the invitation.

You may be asking yourself, “What is an informational interview?” These are interviews set up with someone in a field you are considering for a career. You initiate the interview and frame it as an exchange of information. These interviews don’t lead to a job offer, but do expand your network and your knowledge!

By Lakshini Mendis

Optometrists are health-care professionals who provide primary vision care. Their area of expertise includes the eye and its related structures, as well as visual information processing in humans.

To become an optometrist in the U.S., you need to complete a Doctor of Optometry (O.D.) and pass a national exam administered by the National Board of Examiners in Optometry. The O.D. degree is a 4-year post-graduate program, which includes classroom training and clinical experience. Entry into the O.D. program is competitive, and requires the applicant to sit the Optometry Admission Test, in addition to a bachelor’s degree (in a recognized area of study). You can find a comprehensive list of Optometry schools and colleges that are based in the US here.