From Pipettes to Pens

Writing my thesis was one of the most enjoyable experiences in graduate school and during my postdoc I found myself wishing for more time to work on my blog rather than doing bench science. I’ve always liked writing but never considered it a viable career option because of the uncertainty and competition…but research isn’t exactly an easy career either. Shouldn’t I focus the only capitol I have, my passion, on the career I want?

So a little less than a month ago I left my postdoctoral fellowship to pursue a career in science communication. This is the broad term I am use to encompass a career that could be anything from science writing for Scientific American (perhaps a pipe dream) to being a public information officer at a university (promoting their research through press releases and blogs) to being an editor at a scientific journal.

I wrote about getting over my feelings that I disappointed my scientific advisors in Science Extracted. Since then, I moved to Washington DC and am still trying to figure out how to get into any of the above careers, as well careers related to reviewing literature and translating science into plain language for nonprofit or governmental organizations. 

What I have encountered after two hopeful but ultimately dead-end phone interviews is that

many of these jobs want working experience doing the very things I am trying to transition my career towards. Many are also looking for applicants with a Masters in Science Communication or Journalism, however I think this wouldn’t be a problem if I had the work experience.

This does not in any way seem unique to science writing. It appears to me that companies do not want to spend the time to train employees anymore. But where are people supposed to get this experience?

There are always internships – however many of the internships are targeted towards students at either the undergraduate or graduate level. I had already applied and been rejected by the AAAS Mass Media Fellowship, often seen on the resumes of science PhDs cum successful science writers.

I am not writing this to say that I am discouraged, as I did not expect pursuing my dream job would be easy, and it has only been a month. Graduate school taught me, among other things, persistence. But I wanted to write about my career trajectory for other science PhDs looking to transition to writing…and perhaps get feedback/suggestions?

Clearly it would have been better to do more career exploration during my PhD. I can’t help but feel regret that I didn’t take advantage of the science writing certification program at Johns Hopkins while it would have been free. But I also recognize that I didn’t have much free time in graduate school. The time I did have I used to train for several half marathons, travel to several countries, hang out and commiserate with my friends (i.e. networking) and spend time with my husband.

Currently, I am continuing to build my portfolio through blog writing, doing a bit of freelance writing and editing on Upwork, which right now consists of answering health questions on the Internet for a $3-5 an answer, and of course, apply to jobs.

I have also tried to get better about networking (I have business cards) both online and off. At the suggestion of a successful science writer I started a twitter account and actually enjoy the social media aspect. What I am still working on is being comfortable with the schmoozy aspect of self-promotion – I am from the Midwest after all. I hate the idea of just connecting with someone for what they can do for me.

But maybe that’s not the right way to look at it. Maybe somebody else helped that person out once. After all, all I need is for someone to give me a chance and get me that initial experience in science journalism.

Already, I fell lucky to be where I am: a volunteer experience with the UIC press office led me to a science blogger who got me connected with SciLogs, which has been a great, supportive community of bloggers from diverse areas, all passionate about the importance for clear, non-overhyped, and trustworthy science communication.