#StriveToDiversify

I want to create a movement. Everyone seems to be doing it these days. This one person movement however will be different.

I finished my post doctoral fellowship on June 30, 2013 and is went to for an intense two-week bioscience management boot camp. I had no intention of going back to the bench or back to academia. While a postdoc, I dabbled in a few things, forever seeking to expand my horizon and mind. One thing that I noticed during grad school, fellowship and now working in the 'real world' [away from the bench] is that people frown upon 'smart people' who try to seek further educational experiences.

Maybe it is just me, but in grad school whenever I or any of  my fellow school mates expressed an interest in learning something else (outside of required or allowable courses\electives), we were met with "But you're already getting a PhD. Why would you want to go and do more school work?" Early on into my postdoc fellowship, I realized that academia was not for me. I made use of every opportunity to diversify my skills. Most I did under the disguise of hobbies, the main one was taking a job in retail (11 months on the weekends) to work on my interpersonal skills. More on this in a later post, when I delve more into skills I think PhDs need in order to navigate the world. For the management boot camp, when I got accepted I had every intention of continuing with my postdoc (at the time). However, after a conversation with my postdoc mentor (PM) who said it was a stupid idea and a huge waste of time. PM then went on to ask why would I want to learn the business and management side of science? It should be noted that a part of the course was about setting up and effeciently running labs in both academia and industry.  Something PM could have used. More on this experience at a later time.

I am now into my second job and the comment I've gotten the most is "You do not need to learn anything else, you already have a PhD". I don't even know what this means. Why do people think that having PhD means I should stop learning? And aren't employees with PhDs also allowed the same career and professional development oppurtunities as it relates to their JOBS as every other employees? I find this to be very infuriating and what's worse that twice this comment came from the head of HR.

Well 2018 will be the year we all #StriveToDiversify.

TDP Is Still Here

I really cannot believe it has been 2 years since my last post!!! Is blogging still a thing?

A lot has happened and a lot is in store for this blog. I changed jobs, developed a  career\professional development talk geared towards undergraduates but is beneficial to any researcher presenting his/her work. I am also working on a few other things which I want to launch in 2018.

Until my next post, strive to diversify.

Want a Tech Job After Getting A PhD?

Have you ever wondered how to land a job in the tech industry after getting a Ph.D? Check out his insightful article by Clare-Louise Fagan in the Next Scientist How To Land A Job In Tech After A PhD (Even If You Cannot Install A Printer).

If you can survive a Ph.D. you can navigate and survive anything else.

The Divesrse PhD

Welcome to The Diverse PhD

Have you ever walked out of a career workshop or seminar hosted by your institution's grad student or postdoc association excited about life and then realized that you have absolutely no idea what to do next? Have you been offered advice that sounded good but served no purpose? Are you frustrated that you have invested in a degree that may not be worth the paper it is printed on? Have you ever wondered why no one really wants to help you navigate life?

If you answered yes to any of these, then I know that your struggle is real. More real now that the scientific world is stagnant and millennials are struggling to find their place in it and make their mark. I've been there. I am still learning.

The Diverse PhD (TDP) is PhD trained biomedical scientist, who made the huge and often times not so popular leap from academia into an ‘alternative career’. TDP strongly believes that all graduate students and postdoctoral fellows should be prepared for the real world. We all should have a contingency plan. Not the world according to one's advisor but the world in which people will expect you to apply the skills that come with a PhD and bills need to be paid. The world outside of the academic bubble is completely different from that at the bench and if not prepared can be overwhelming and difficult to navigate.

What can you expect to see on the TDP? Posts on the current state of the biomedical career pipeline and the obstacles that hinder or prevent grad students and postdocs from realizing their true passion and potential. TDP knows that there are a plethora of blogs, websites, individuals and organizations that focus on scientific careers. But in all honesty truth if they were working then society would not have so many Ph.Ds without job security or jobs or a future. Ph.D's would actually be doing what they set out to do in the first place SCIENCE!!! Those resources never worked for me because they were just not practical. At the end of grad school TDP still did not know what to do and scrambled to find a postdoc. But TDP figured it out and came up with a plan. TDP truly wants to help you.

So the blog serves as a practical career resource guide for but is not limited to graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in the biomedical research field. It serves to the complement services offered by The Diverse PhD. The services include one-on-one practical career assessments, converting CV's to resumes,cover letter tips, identifying & cultivating transferable skills, executive summary/resume summary statement etc.

You can follow The Diverse PhD on Twitter @thediversephd

Please note this is not a job board/job posting blog or a job search service.