My Non-Linear Career Path and Lessons I Learned Along the Way
I vividly remember my last fall semester before graduating from San Diego State University, rushing to finish my National Science Foundation’s (NSF’s) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) application. Frantically writing on my white board like a madman explaining to my friend my research proposal that came to me as I was eating cheese earlier that day. My research proposal sought to answer if there were certain microbes that could assist in absorbing the excess methane gas in the atmosphere contributing to climate change.
At the time, I aspired to pursue my doctorate in Geobiology and become an astrobiologist. Now, almost two years later, I work as a microbial collections curator for a publicly traded bio-pharmaceutical company specializing in technology and medicine development. I thought my career path would be linear, I now realize how grateful I am for coming to the realization that I am happy with my non-linear career path.
This goes out to all the other seniors about to graduate with STEM degrees, burnt out but wanting to pursue higher educations. One of the biggest lessons I learned after graduating is that it is okay to not feel ready for graduate school. I kept pushing for my pursuit of higher education, completely neglecting how unprepared I felt. Just because someone presents you with what you believe is the ultimate formula to a successful scientist career doesn't mean that is actually THE formula for you. I did not feel ready because I truly did not know what I wanted right out of college. Another sign for me was I realized I felt dread at the thought of uprooting everything and attending graduate school wherever it would take me. I know in my heart one day I want to, but not at that time in my life.
By going to several conferences and chatting with multiple scientists of different disciplines, I have learned that you don't have to become an "academic cog" in order to be the scientist you always dreamed about becoming. By academic cog, I mean you go to high school and college with extracurriculars, attend graduate school, do post-doctorate work, and wham-bam you're in academia as a researcher.
At the Carl Sagan Conference in 2018, I met a NASA research scientist with a microbiology and geology background. She told me she spent seven years snowboarding after she graduated with a microbiology degree, working part time in a lab. After she got that out of her, she went to pursue her Ph.D. Her story stuck with me for a while and I realized I wanted to do the same, but in my own way.
I decided to work instead of attending graduate school to figure out what I did and did not like. I worked for the County of San Diego Public Health Lab at the peak of the COVID pandemic as a full-time lab assistant. In the several months at the lab, I learned so much:the healthcare system is not my jam and I enjoy working but not bringing my work home. However, I also missed being surrounded by research and talks about running experiments and so forth.
If not for an Instagram live a friend shared on her story, I would most definitely not have my current position. The post was titled "Non-Academic Careers" and featured two amazing women and their stories about deviating from traditional STEM careers. I remember feeling very lost in my job search, and coming across their webinar felt like fate as I was drowning in job listings on Indeed. The key thing that stuck out to me during the talk was “find a position that you really resonate with”. Amidst the drowning, I did find a job listing and I was intrigued by the title. I opened it to see that I have the skillset they were looking for and that the position seemed really exciting. After applying what I learned in the webinar, I now have a job that fulfills my desire to be around research while leaving work at work. I also have the time to pursue hobbies I never really had the time for when in college, and I still follow astrobiology news here and there. Curricula is not the only avenue you can learn from, you can learn from work experience as well as your own life experiences. Will I go back to pursue a degree in higher education? I honestly do not know right now, but if I have learned anything it is to embrace what opportunities come my way — If something feels right, so be it.
My hopes are that someone else reading this, maybe a senior in undergrad or a recent graduate, can relate and know that it is okay if things do not turn out as exactly as planned. Embrace opportunities as they come, network, be curious, and learn from yourself.
