Alternative Careers in Science

Many science students find themselves in the midst of graduate school or sitting at a lab bench, and realize that they hate lab work! Even worse is realizing that they may love science, but science (at least academic science) is not providing many job opportunities these days. What's a poor researcher to do !? This book gives first-hand descriptions of the evolution of a band of hardy scientists out of the lab and into just about every career you can imagine. Researchers from every branch of science found their way into finance, public relations, consulting, business development, journalism, and more - and thrived there! Each author tells their personal story, including descriptions of their career path, a typical day, where to find information on their job, opportunities to career growth, and more. This is a must-read for every science major, and everyone who is looking for a way to break out of their career rut."After my Ph.D. I realized that although I enjoyed science, I felt that my skills might be better applied to enabling the application of science within a more commercial context. Reading the experiences of others in this book gave me the confidence to move into another area of work. After spending two years in university technology transfer, I now negotiate Strategic Alliances on behalf of Pfizer and use my scientific knowledge and experience on a day-to-day basis." -Philip McGurk, Pfizer, California, U.S.A.