How PhD Scientists Can Transition Into Program Manager Roles Outside Academia
By
Silvia Pineda-Munoz PhD
Crispy enough to crunch, soft enough to enjoy. A good bake.
Summary
This article addresses the challenge PhD graduates in the natural sciences face when transitioning from academia to industry careers, specifically focusing on the Program Manager role. It explains what program managers do, why scientists are well-suited for these positions, and how to reframe academic experience for these roles. The author shares personal insights about the difficulty of navigating non-academic job structures and provides guidance for scientists exploring careers beyond academia.
Key quotes
· 4 pulledOne of the hardest parts of exploring careers beyond academia wasn't updating my résumé or preparing for interviews. It was figuring out what jobs to search for in the first place.
Academia has a relatively straightforward career structure. Most of us know what graduate students, postdocs, professors, curators, and research scientists do because we've spent years surrounded by those roles.
The moment I started looking outside academia, however, I realized I had no idea how the rest of the professional world was organized.
Job boards were full of titles like Program Manager, Program Officer, Project...
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