{"id":778,"date":"2015-03-15T04:36:11","date_gmt":"2015-03-15T04:36:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/klbtrblgdb01.cloudapp.net\/blog\/?p=778"},"modified":"2020-01-03T08:22:49","modified_gmt":"2020-01-03T08:22:49","slug":"why-phds-need-to-have-a-plan-b-for-their-career-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/why-phds-need-to-have-a-plan-b-for-their-career-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Why PhDs need to have a ‘Plan B’ for their career"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Tara<\/a><\/p>\n

When I first discovered Kolabtree, I had a hard time containing my excitement.\u00a0 I\u2019m a recent Ph.D. graduate and I\u2019m currently a postdoctoral fellow in a fast-paced, grant-driven department.\u00a0 I love the day-to-day rat race of paper and grant writing<\/a>, project design and implementation, etc., but because I am a recent graduate, I\u2019m all too familiar with \u201cPlan B\u201d \u2013 that is, ensuring that you have a backup plan in case your ‘Plan A’ doesn\u2019t work out for you.\u00a0 I\u2019ve always assumed that I would have a career in academia.<\/p>\n

Like almost all other Ph.D.\u2019s, specifically social science Ph.D.\u2019s, I\u2019ve been trained in an academic environment, and all I have ever known is academics.\u00a0 Throughout my career so far, I have prepared myself for a job in academics.\u00a0 However, as a postdoctoral fellow, I am a part of numerous groups and attend many seminars that are geared towards preparing us for the reality that most of us will not be able to get a job in academia.\u00a0 Harsh, I know.\u00a0 But this is the reality of our career trajectories.<\/p>\n

Only the lucky few, and it does seem like luck AND hard work is how Ph.D.\u2019s are able to make their dream career a reality.\u00a0 However, a career as a faculty isn\u2019t as dreamy as it used to be.\u00a0 Reality also means accepting the challenging funding climate for those who apply for federal funding.\u00a0 When you take all of this in combination, you realize that you need, and are encouraged by faculty mentors, to determine your ‘Plan B’. \u00a0As scary as this has been for me, it has also been exhilarating because I have discovered that throughout my training I have gathered many skills that are applicable to many different career trajectories, including being a consultant<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m thoroughly trained in the art of logically thinking through complex problems, analyzing and assessing challenging situations, among many other research<\/a> skills. \u00a0However, some of the most challenging hurdles that I have encountered is determining 1) What kind of career outside of academia<\/a> I would be happy with? and more simply, 2) What would my occupation title actually be? \u00a0Nonetheless, something I have learned along the way is that no matter what kind of research career path I decide I want to follow, the most valuable skill I\u2019ve learned throughout my training is to always strive to be a good scientist.\u00a0 Thus, if I can have a career where I take my skills and expertise and help develop and implement good science, then I consider my career a win \u2013 no matter whether it is ‘Plan A’ or ‘Plan B’ or if I choose or am forced into ‘Plan A’ or ‘Plan B.’<\/p>\n

*This is a guest blog post written by Tara Karns,\u00a0Postdoctoral Fellow at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When I first discovered Kolabtree, I had a hard time containing my excitement.\u00a0 I\u2019m a recent Ph.D. graduate and I\u2019m currently a postdoctoral fellow in a fast-paced, grant-driven department.\u00a0 I love the day-to-day rat race of paper and grant writing, project design and implementation, etc., but because I am a recent graduate, I\u2019m all too<\/p>\n

Read More<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":2471,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[106],"tags":[44,53,62,60,61],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhy PhDs need to have a 'Plan B' for their career - The Kolabtree Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/por-que-los-medicos-necesitan-tener-un-plan-para-su-carrera-profesional-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why PhDs need to have a 'Plan B' for their career\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When I first discovered Kolabtree, I had a hard time containing my excitement.\u00a0 I\u2019m a recent Ph.D. graduate and I\u2019m currently a postdoctoral fellow in a fast-paced, grant-driven department.\u00a0 I love the day-to-day rat race of paper and grant writing, project design and implementation, etc., but because I am a recent graduate, I\u2019m all tooRead More\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/por-que-los-medicos-necesitan-tener-un-plan-para-su-carrera-profesional-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Kolabtree Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/kolabtree\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-03-15T04:36:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-01-03T08:22:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/graduation-2613175_1920.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Tara Karns\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@kolabtree\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@kolabtree\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Tara Karns\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Why PhDs need to have a 'Plan B' for their career - 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