I recently received an email from a URBEST trainee that had graduated and made their way out into the world. It surprises (and delights) me that people still like to share their success stories. I also wanted to communicate the email with you because I think it contains a lot of useful information for when you decide to make your way into the outside world. I got permission to share – I just had to remove identifying factors. Please enjoy this trainee’s experience. It might be similar to your own in the future?

Juilee Thakar did a few recruiting visits over the summer, and undergraduate students wanted to know: what characteristics are professors looking for in a graduate student. Some faculty weigh in.

I was recently introduced to the book Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World, written by Cal Newport. He references the examples of J.K. Rowling checking into the five-star Balmoral Hotel, Bill Gates working in a cabin, Alan Lightman retreating to a tiny island in Maine, and Peter Shankman booking a round-trip flight to Japan in order to focus on their deep work. I couldn’t offer those options to trainees and supporters, but what I could offer was a two-hour URBEST Grand Gesture.

As scientists-in-training, we’re comfortable with the notion that answering one question is liable to bring up three new ones. Uncertainty is an essential component of the scientific process, one that most scientists happily embrace, but it’s far harder to accept the reality of uncertainty when it comes to our lives and careers. Except we don’t typically call it “uncertainty.” Instead, we’re far more likely to use the term “anxiety."

Although vastly different, the goal of both training models is to meet the unique needs of D/HH scientists, and – through their own approaches – both have demonstrated success in recent years. In acknowledging the strengths and challenges of the two training models, continuing the dialogue may provide fresh ideas and viewpoints for Â鶹ÊÓƵand RIT. Sarah Latchney, Â鶹ÊÓƵpostdoc, and Hui-Yi Chu, Fate Therapeutics Scientist, discuss the outsider's perspective.

I was fortunate enough to be offered a scientist position in industry before I finished my Ph.D. Looking back on my experiences in graduate school, I think that a major reason that I was able to take advantage of the career opportunities presented to me was because of the preparation that I received as a member of the URBEST program.

I was a postdoc at The Jackson Laboratory (JAX) for only about 18 months. Into the second year of my training, I decided I did not want to stay in academia and become a principal investigator.  I immediately began to consider the next move in my career.  In addition to its research department, the JAX sells mice for use in scientific research.  Because my husband Jeff was still working as a postdoc, I started reviewing job postings at JAX.    

In 2006, I made a big career change.  I left a great job, where I helped run a small business, to become a graduate student in biomedical research.  In truth, the job had been a detour.  After undergrad I was to be a research assistant in a biology lab.  The summer before I started in the lab, I wrote custom software for a friend’s business.  By summer’s end, I went all-in with the business. The job wasn’t for me and five years later I needed a career change.  After this unusual start, I have really enjoyed my career in biomedical research.  However, working outside of academia I learned a couple things about my work life that are important to my happiness and career development. 

In the early 1980s, the goal of almost every college student was to graduate and go to medical school.  I was a little different – it was dental school for me.  Since the University of Michigan had no pre-dentistry major, I had to declare a real major.  I chose microbiology (Good Choice #1) because the mouth is full of microbes.  Around that time, biotechnology was getting lots of press and the demand for graduates with genetic engineering skills was growing.  All that sounded pretty exciting to me – much more than dentistry, so I dropped the dream of drilling teeth and immersed myself in biotechnology (Good Choice #2).  Unfortunately, I found bench science boring.  Chemical engineering caught my eye.  Having progressed far into the microbiology program, I stayed with the micro major and added a second major with a concentration in biochemical engineering.  After 6 years of undergraduate studies, okay grades, and no money, I needed to get a job.