Skill Building

What Skills did I focus more on in Graduate School for Academia?

The path that has led me to academia has been an immersive opportunity boundless with growth, and advancement in my professional skills, accompanied by a deeper understanding of the assets I offer with my positionality as a young female Latina scientist. Each experience in my undergraduate and gradu...

Transition from a Scientist to an Entrepreneur

Tips on How to Engage an Audience

Switching Paths

Having a job is an essential part of our adult life, and it is definitely something we need in order to survive. It is something we depend on. If we think about it, most of us will spend most of our productive life working, so looking for a job or staying at a job that we are unhappy about might ...

Five Tips For Managing Information Overload

Information overload carries a negative connotation but sometimes it comes from a happy place. This past weekend, I was in Seattle leading a career change workshop for the Lean In Seattle and Lean In Women’s Veterans chapters. This all-day event featured speakers from around the country, and with ...

The Siren’s Song of Employment – Part Two

Last fall, I was invited by Bio Careers to present a webinar on pursuing alternative careers. It dealt most specifically with transitioning from a bench career to one involving finance or business. Interestingly, what strongly resonated with attendees were the slides on how one’s skills could...

How to set yourself apart from the rest? The importance of your social skills and attitude in the job

For every job available out there, no matter the discipline, we can find hundreds of applicants equally qualified who can fill that position. 

When transitioning from academia to pharma, academic scientists need their C.R.E.A.M! - Resourcefulness

One of the most important things we learn during our Ph.D. training is the ability to do a “needs analysis”.  We learn how to get work done when resources are limited, project goals are shifted, and priorities change for things like grant proposals.  Still, other times, we realize that...

How to speak with confidence - Part 2, networking

How many of you shiver when you hear “networking”? Or do you jump for joy? If you are in the latter category, then congratulations and you can stop reading. However, if you are from the first category, here are some tips that might be able to help you to overcome the crippling anxiety. You ...

The Social Scientist

During my undergraduate studies I took more than 18 credits in the Social Sciences from Theories of Personality, to Sociology and Social Problems. At the time, I wasn't completely clear as to how taking these courses would influence my future, both at the personal and professional level, but th...