Tag Archives: idols

Most read on Naturejobs: May 2015

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Building reputations, relocation, adjunct teaching and more have been the topics of choice in May 2015.

naturejobs-readsThis month the Naturejobs team have been working hard on the Boston Naturejobs Career Expo, which happened last week. It was a long, but great day and we want to thank everyone who got involved: Speakers, delegates, exhibitors, sponsors. THANK YOU!

For those that missed it, there will be reports on the event coming out on the Naturejobs blog next week, starting with a summary of the keynote speech by Professor Robert Langer on Monday June 1st.

But now I want to concentrate on May, and here’s a list of your Top Ten reads from Nature Careers and the Naturejobs blog:

1. To get respect in a field, scientists need to consider not just their work, but also their interactions with others, says Chris Woolston in Recognition: Build a reputation on Nature Careers.

2. Contract teaching positions are becoming the norm for many aspiring professors. Know how to make the best out of them, says Kendall Powell in Adjunct teaching: For the love of lecture on Nature Careers.

3. The postdoc series: Help for lost postdocs shows how self-reflection can help young researchers analyze their skills and plan for their futures. Continue reading →

Career paths: Should you follow in the footsteps of your idol?

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Idols are a key source of enthusiasm, says Anthea Lacchia, not people you should try to emulate.

Contributor Anthea Lacchia

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{credit}Image credit: PHOTOALTO{/credit}

When it comes to choosing a career, the options can feel infinite and yet non-existing, as though we are navigating through a dense forest, with endless paths stretching out in front of us.

As we scramble through the thick undergrowth, armed with hope and guided by experience and intuition, we ask ourselves: which path is the right one for me? How can I get to that coveted position? How did that person make it? Why can’t I be like them?

It can be tempting to emulate the career choices of our idols: after all, the decisions they made led them to where they are now. So following in their footsteps could be the way out of this forest.

So we trawl through online bios and CVs to see what it is that got them to their current role, increasingly feeling inadequate and underprepared for the careers we hope to follow. Continue reading →