WHAT CAREER?

Completion of a research degree usually takes several years, considerable hardship and very hard work (but hopefully also enjoyment and reward), yet in research this is just the first step on the ladder. Addressing the question of what career may seem unusual and even depressing after spending so long in research training, but it is practical and necessary. Within research there are a number of ultimate career paths – academia (ideally a tenure- track or tenured, faculty position), research institute or industry. It is often too early to make that decision at, or even soon after, completion of a Ph.D., but a view on your ultimate (and realistic) ambition is helpful. It would be unfair and untrue to say that all (or even most) Ph.D. students achieve the goal of a career in full-time research. Such positions are highly competitive and relatively few compared to the number of successful Ph.D.s. Many who choose to undertake a Ph.D., do so with uncertainty about what they want to do. For some it is simply a way of putting off a decision. But even those who undertake a Ph.D. with a burning ambition to secure a life-long position in research may eventually do something else which they had not planned, either through choice or necessity. This can be viewed as failure and a waste of extensive training, but this is a rather negative and even naïve view. Experience in research and acquisition of the numerous skills involved in this activity is enormously valuable for a range of challenging careers, and puts research-trained scientists at the forefront of many career opportunities.