Ten Take-Aways from the Career Symposium

Posted by vuit_admin on Wednesday, August 7, 2013 in Path to Career Resources .

Your professional journey will be unpredictable and unforgettable. Begin your journey by understanding your strengths. Strengths Finder 2.0 is a great place to start. (Linda Distlerath)
Have a good dose of humility. In your first job, find a buddy who can help guide you through the unwritten protocols and etiquette of your workplace environment. (Linda Distlerath)
Your PhD and postdoctoral training teaches you how to ask good questions and use logic to reason through problems. Your specific research experience may be irrelevant in your first job but the other skills will be used every day. (Karissa Culbreath)
Just as interdisciplinary teamwork is key to research success, it is also important in a startup environment. (Walt Gall)
Follow your curiosity. Strive for excellence. And learn from your mistakes, which are inevitable during a journey to excellence. (Lia Haynes)
Teamwork is critical for success. You may not understand everyone’s role in your first job but take time to learn what others bring to the table. (Steve Gendreau)
The burden is on YOU to do the heavy lifting in your career. Your mentor can support you but you need to take charge. (Amy Moore)
Each step in your career helps you develop new expertise that opens new doors. (Erik Prentice)
Put your research skills to work! Do your homework to identify companies or groups that align with your interests and reach out to them. (Stephanie Gustavson)
Don’t compare your journey to someone else’s! (Lia Haynes)