Developing a science career

I had the opportunity to hear Peter Fiske speak today about career management for those of us PhD scientists. The talk was called "Diversify, Innovate, Create: Lab management from an Entrepreneurial Perspective." Peter Fiske has written career guide books for PhDs, both academic and non-academic areas, as well as career development columns for AAAS.

Couple things I learned: I have to take care of my self! noone else will care as much as me!

Some career development resources:
http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/
http://blog.phds.org/

80:10:10 rule:
80% of your work should be doing your best work, etc.
10% should be spent on career development outside of your immediate work area- go to talks, learn new skills,
10% should be spent on promoting yourself and your work, and networking - conferences, etc.

PhD's have many transferrable job skills that we don't think about.

SBIR grants are sometimes much easier to get than regular grants. If you want to start something "commercial," the US government is still the best choice