Everybody struggles with the same dilemma. Do I focus on my career or on my scientific contributions? If I concentrate on my advancement, I am seen as selfish. Yet, if I focus on my contributions, I will be outperformed by the career guys. How can you combine your career aspirations and your scientific contributions?
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Are you one of the many people who wonder, “Am I good enough for a career in science?” Every young scientist suffers from these negative thoughts. You’ve worked hard to contribute to the scientific community… and then you get the feeling that you are not good enough. This sense of doubt makes you feel you aren’t good enough for a career in academia.
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They always ask in job interviews, “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?” I hear the same reply again and again… “I don’t even know where I see myself in 2 years.”
What can you do to get more clarity?
Despite everyone complaining about the lockdown, I believe it can be used as a golden opportunity for your scientific career… Although I didn’t dare mention this at the beginning.
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Lockdown makes it difficult to do experiments and to work on your scientific career. Losing a few months of your research may not seem so dramatic… or is it? You sit at home and have to motivate yourself to stay productive. Don’t waste these weeks! Here are several ideas about how to protect your career under lockdown conditions!
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Young researchers are often disoriented what they should do with their expertise and whether they will find a job after their doctorate or postdoc. The good news is that the unemployment rate of PhD holders is surprisingly low. The bad news is that young scientists often do not work in the field they have expected.
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Everybody will tell you that it is essential to go to a famous university for a successful career in science. Important arguments are the network you build (for example, via alumni associations), the excellent infrastructure and the great scientists you might connect with. But is it real or is it a myth?
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Postdocs often struggle with their publication list. They become the famous “second author”. However, if you strive for a successful academic career, you may have to negotiate better with your supervisor to get first and last authorships to build your career.
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Attending a scientific meeting can be very inspiring. It may broaden your network and help you to make yourself and your research visible to a broad audience. But it is also often time-consuming and expensive. How do you choose the right meetings to attend?
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Young researchers often ask: what is the ideal length of a postdoc? There are many different answers which depend on the field, the country, the university, the supervisor and funding institutions. To get good advice on the best length you should strategically investigate your field. Get some ideas here.
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Many young scientists fear that they are not investing enough in their scientific career, however, it is often not clear what exactly they should do and how important different aspects are such as publications, grants, teaching, mobility, technical skills and just being a good scientist. Find some directions here.
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It is often tempting for young scientists to aim for co-authorships on papers published in journals with a high impact factor. But is it a clever career move?
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