WOMEN IN PLANT BIOLOGY

Developing a Personal Protocol for Professional Success
by Beronda L. Montgomery-Kaguri
Assistant Professor, Michigan State University; montg133@msu.edu

Every laboratory has defined and systematic ways for conducting most experiments. The development and utilization of these lab protocols increase the likelihood of obtaining optimal and reproducible experimental outcomes. Just as every lab has detailed protocols that are followed for seed germination, stratification, and growth—as well as other routine assays—students and postdoctoral scientists likewise need to develop detailed roadmaps for their future careers.

Preparing systematically for one’s career of choice will greatly enhance the likelihood of future success, in much the same way as does the methodical preparation we do for experiments. But just as laboratory protocols for routine procedures differ from lab to lab, a personal protocol for professional success will have nuances specific to each particular individual. Like nearly all useful standard operating procedures (SOPs), the protocol for professional success will be based on prior knowledge and tried-and-true themes, but it will also incorporate specific details and distinguishing characteristics that work best for a scientist’s personal goals.

Setting the stage for a personal pathway to success and fulfillment requires some general considerations. Several questions to consider while crafting an individual SOP for success in your chosen discipline or profession include the following: (1) What do I want to do? (2) What resources do I need to get to my desired destination? (3) What can I learn from others’ prior experiences to help me along my way?

What do I want to do?
This question requires a great deal of self-reflection and personal resolution, although there are certainly resources available to assist in answering it. These resources include workshops at disciplinary meetings, such as the Career Workshops organized by the Women in Plant Biology Committee at the annual ASPB meeting, conversations with trusted mentors, and campus workshops or career days that allow students to interact with professionals working in various science-related arenas.

However, the end result is that you will have to make a personal decision regarding the best fit between your interests and strengths and the opportunities that are available. Once I decided that a position in academia was my desired goal, the things that I needed to do next came more clearly into focus.

What resources do I need to get to my desired destination?
Addressing this question is comparable to the data collection phase of an experiment. Having decided on a desired destination (or two), the next thing you’ll need to do is to accumulate information on how to get there—preferably most successfully and most efficiently. In this regard, this question, unlike the first one, usually requires a good deal of input from others from the start. For many professional destinations, some of the fundamental requirements will be clear. For example, looking for a faculty position at a research institution will require postdoctoral experience beyond the PhD. Having decided on the academic track myself, toward the end of my PhD studies I began to focus on where and with whom I would complete my postdoctoral training.

The choices for postdoctoral experiences are varied. The variations include not only the requisite choice of host mentor and laboratory, but also the type of postdoctoral experience you would like to complete. There are traditional research postdoctoral positions, teaching postdoctoral positions, and a variety of hybrid postdoctoral experiences that merge research and teaching in a number of ways. Which type of postdoctoral experience you choose depends heavily on how you answered the “What do I want to do?” question. A well-calibrated choice can provide additional preparation and job market competitiveness at a time when the number of individuals vying for each quality permanent position continues to grow.

Other aspects of planning the journey benefit tremendously from fact-finding from individuals who have already successfully completed a similar expedition or are further along than you are. These individuals might be local campus contacts or individuals from a larger network, including those you have met at conferences or who are at other institutions. The good news is that resources for career development are growing in range, depth, and availability. There are myriad professional workshops, proposal writing seminars, and literature resources available on most campuses and beyond, many of which are targeted to specific disciplines.

Other resources are targeted to broad training for future laboratory leaders. For example, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the Burroughs Wellcome Fund developed a course entitled “Course in Scientific Management for the Beginning Academic Investigator” that also resulted in a valuable companion text Making the Right Moves: A Practical Guide to Scientific Management for Postdocs and New Faculty. This text is available free online (http://www.hhmi.org/resources/labmanagement/moves.html).

More recently, ASPB held its first Lab Leadership Workshop, which focused on leadership training for successful laboratory management. Taking full advantage of such resources, in addition to the training and guidance received in host laboratories, is beneficial for successfully traversing from scientist-in-training to productively, and hopefully contentedly, employed scientific investigator.

What can I learn from others’ prior experiences?
Similar to the literature surveys we conduct to find out what has worked and what has not for research-based questions—and thereby to place our work and future experiments on a successful path—we should survey the field when planning for future professional endeavors and when attempting to answer profession-related questions. Basically, you should assess defined ways for moving forward in your chosen path.

This knowledge can stem from both theoretical and practical experiences. There is a deluge of literature on job-related issues, from how to write successful CVs to what questions to ask in an interview. These are certainly valuable tools, but practical experience is also important. One avenue for gaining practical experience is to begin actively developing skills that will be required in your future position. For example, proposal writing is requisite for most academic positions. By beginning to write proposals for graduate and postdoctoral fellowships, you not only gain insight into the process of putting together a cohesive, viable proposal, but also begin establishing a record of being fundable.

Practical experience about the job search process itself can also be gathered from serving as a graduate or postdoctoral representative on faculty search committees to gain insight into the candidate assessment and hiring process. Using such theoretical resources and practical opportunities allows you to tailor your path to fit your own individual goals and specific future endeavors while increasing your competitiveness and personal skill set.

Where will this all take you?
Refining a future career trajectory certainly does not fit perfectly to the scientific method, but using tools to increase your chances of finding future success and fulfillment can only be constructive. I suggest drawing on all of the valuable sources you can find. Maximize your utilization of resources, knowledgeable colleagues and mentors, and practical experiences. Leverage these to assist you in successfully navigating the pathway to professional success. Personally, although I’ve often found myself wishing I had more information about a particular situation, it’s a rare case that I’ve thought I had too much!

View past columns of Women in Plant Biology at http://www.aspb.org/newsletter/wipb.cfm.