career planning

Paralysed by Career Indecision? My top tips for career development after a PhD

girlymicro Academic Life, Microbiology (Research), Research/Academia , , , , , , , ,

This time of year is always special to me. Not only do I adore all things Christmas, but 10 years ago on the 10th December, I passed my PhD viva, and so it holds some pretty significant memories.

The thing is, and what I did not fully realise in the moment when this awesome photo and meme were made by Mr Girlymicro, was that although it felt like the end of something, it was really just a brilliant beginning.

Now, I say a brilliant beginning, but since this picture was taken there has been my fair share of being lost in the wilderness. There has been a chunk of self-doubt. There’s been plenty of agonising about career decisions and next moves. When you are working towards a PhD, although challenging, the end point is clear and there’s plenty of sign posting along the way. When working towards a career, all of those things are much more amorphous, and it’s much harder to know whether the decisions you are making are either right or significant, in any given moment.

In light of all of us I thought, to celebrate being 10 years on, now might be a good time to share some of what I’ve found to be helpful in navigating the forest of decision-making that comes with entering your post doctoral era.

Take time to know yourself

When you finish any big piece of career development it is both joyous and, for me, confusing. You have been running head long towards a goal for years, laser focussed on crossing that finish line. If, like me, you focus so much on the target you forget to think about what comes next, the end can actually be quite jarring. So, I think it’s actually important to build in time to review throughout the process if possible, but definitely at the end. Which aspects did you really enjoy and would like to ensure you include as a priority in any future career planning? Which bits did you not enjoy? Can the bits you didn’t enjoy be avoided or reduced by making decisions linked to next steps? Bearing in mind we all have bits of any job we don’t adore…….If the bits you dislike are a feature of academia, then maybe also think more widely about where your science might fit.

Another thing that it is worth doing, is really taking some time to map and focus on your skill gaps. The great thing about entering a different career phase it that it is an opportunity to really re-invent yourself and re-set. The next thing you do, science wise, after a PhD might actually be pretty different. Choosing a post doc is an opportunity to take all you’ve experienced during your PhD and use it make a more informed decision about your future. It may be that you, for example, had never had the opportunity to undertake bioinformatics before your third year, and now it really interests and inspires you. What skills would you need to develop to have this as a more dominant feature in your career? What further experience do you need to make you competitive in the job market? Then use this reflection to make informed choices when you are developing your next steps.

The final thing to really take some time to review will be your personal priorities. I don’t want the same things now that I did in my twenties. To be honest I don’t really want the same things now that I wanted before the pandemic, my priorities have definitely changed. When you reach the end of a big career stage it is worth doing a piece of reflection, as you may have been working towards something for a period of years whilst life went on around you. I’ve had plenty of friends who were super career focussed and then reached a point, post 1st post doc, where their priorities changed and they wanted to focus more on their families for a while. Giving yourself some time to decide what work life balance looks like for you, and what your priorities are, will mean you maintain yourself as well as your career along the way.

Foster the old

It can be tempting, especially if you didn’t have the greatest experience, to walk away from everything linked to what you’ve just completed, like a PhD, into the sunset and never look back. Some people have great PhD experiences, some have awful ones, and most people have a time of both highs and lows. No matter how tempting it is to close the door on this chapter of your life this is my plea to you to consider maintaining those links. You will have spent years working in an environment where you will have invested in networks, relationships and learning. Utilising that foundation, even if not all of it, to support your next steps is one of the best things that can come out of your PhD. It doesn’t have to be via your supervisor, but through the peers you bonded with, or even other academics you encountered during the way. Invest a little in making sure that you don’t lose the things you have already put a lot of energy into when you start to move into something new.

Find your people

Now, having said about maintaining the old, we all know people who’ve clung so tightly to where they’ve come from that they never really move forward. This is also not great. You’re entering a new phase and you can’t truly maximise on the potential of that if you carry over too much of where you’ve been. If you want to continue to thrive, this is the time to expand and find your new tribe.

This can be an intimidating time but there are often routes out there within your organisation that really support you in doing this. I would advocate that, during any career transition phase, it is worth taking some time to see if you can find a mentor or get access to coaching, in order to help you through the reflection and to maximise the opportunity.

A key early focus should always be to get out there and start making your own connections, building your own relationships, and start stepping into that independent researcher space. Mentorship can really help with this, as its an intimidating thing to need to do, and it’s important to not shy away from. If you are not the best networker, like me, one of the things that I found really helpful for this was joining and becoming an active participant in professional bodies/societies or other opportunities that may exist within your organisation. This provides an organic way to meet people and build relationships, whilst also undertaking activities that interest you and service your CV. The people I met early on are not only my colleagues but many are now my friends. They are the people I call who keep me sane. So it’s time well spent.

Be prepared for the studying to continue

You reach the end of your PhD and most of us say that’s it, we are never studying again. Then, within a fairly short time, reality makes a liar of us all. If you want an academic career then the studying will continue. There will be a need to become a better educator, as well as researcher, with things like working towards Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) to support how well you teach, and ensure you remain competitive in the job market. There are always new techniques and specialist skills to pick up, and I would make a plea that we could all do with spending some time on developing our communication skills. I’m talking everything from grant writing skills, to media training and public engagement skills. No matter how little you think you need some of these things, you will always need them more than you predict. The added bonus is that they will also beneficially impact on other parts of your work, for instance things like public engagement skills make your general presentation skills better.

Throw your hat into the ring often

We all have moments of high and low confidence. One of the things that I’ve learnt is how important it is to notice and acknowledge whatever period I’m in, but not let it impact my activity, as how I’m feeling personally does not really alter my chances of success on any given thing as that it usually linked to external factors. It is also easy to not be applying for grants and other things if you are in a comfortable place, because you have funding etc. The thing is, the most important thing, for both your CV and your development is consistency. You won’t get better at writing grants, papers etc if you aren’t doing it, so even if you don’t ‘need’ to do it as you have funding that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t. You may choose to apply for a public engagement or development grant instead, but you should still do it.

The same is true for throwing your hat into the ring for roles and other opportunities, you often don’t know where they will lead you, but if you don’t do it you’ll never know. Practice makes perfect, and you won’t always succeed in the moment, but the experience gained will always stand you in good stead.

Learn how to process failure

I’ve posted plenty about failure before, and why I actually think I’ve learnt more from my failures than my successes. The truth of it is that academic feels like it is 80% failure and rejection, and it is, if you only focus on the outcome instead of the process. The learning is in the experience. In producing the work. So yes, by throwing your hat into the ring you are opening yourself up to a lot of failure when it comes to outcomes, but there is a lot less uncertainty linked to the fact that you will develop as a consequence. Each of us has to come to terms, and find a way of thinking about and dealing with the outcome failures in a way that supports our personal thinking and processing. Yours is likely to be different to mine, but investing some time working out how best to manage yourself in these moments will be ones of the best investments in time you can make if you want to maintain an academic career.

Practice all forms of communication

I’ve mentioned this a little all the way through, but I’m going to re-state it here as it’s important. Take every opportunity you are offered to practice and improve your communication skills. Every chance to write a lay summary, or patient information leaflet. Every chance to present, small or large, no matter how terrified you are. Every opportunity to copy edit someone’s grant or paper. Every chance to be on an interview panel, or review committee. All of it will enable you to see how other people communicate and find new ideas for things you like, or get you to put your research dissemination in a new way to a different audience, and therefore be able to see it in a new light. The only way you get better at any of this stuff is by putting in the hours, there are no short cuts.

I’m not the best writer, but it’s not about skill, it’s about putting in the time and practicing. I write every week, and hope that I get better by doing so. Some people may have an initial talent, but even they need to do the work. So take every opportunity you can to develop your skills early so that you can maximise the benefit during your career.

Don’t be tempted by rabbit holes

Coming out of something, like a PhD, where the your focus has had to be on a single very defined goal, it can be tempting to approach the next phase of your career in the same way. I don’t think it hurts to have focus, to have your list of gaps to address, and the things you’ve identified that you want to include and prioritise. I also want to state here that unlike your PhD phase, you might want to consciously keep the next phase broad and ensure that you maximise your opportunities to try and experience a breadth of options. Not just to help inform future decision making, but also because, as I’ve posted linked to making professor, you can’t progress on the basis of one area of interest alone. You may be an amazing researcher, but you also need to know how to communicate your research. You may be a wonderful teacher, but you also need to develop your strategic awareness skills in order to understand how best to navigate the system you find yourself in. Be aware of your future career needs and make sure you don’t close doors without realising it by failing to maintain and grow across development areas, and know how much these areas cross support each other to make you the best scientist you can be.

Be prepared to be flexible

I’ve discovered that pathways are never as direct as I once believed them to be, and I have previously struggled to be kind to myself in understanding that the most direct path is not always the correct one for me. I failed to see the joy in the diversions for a long time. Looking back on it though, this diversions and deviations have frequently ended up in giving me the experiences and opportunities where I’ve learnt most about myself or gained most in terms of career progression. Being open to the less travelled path can reap unexpected rewards. Being open minded when presented with choices, and sometimes over looking short term gain, can have great career benefits in the long term.

Sometimes this flexibility is also about allowing yourself to choose to prioritise your personal priorities at times over career ones. It can feel like, if you are making a choice, it is a permanent closing of a door but more often than not it is a choice you are making for right now based on what works for you. Being mindful of when choices are permanent or for ‘right now’ can be really helpful in evaluating next moves. Also, knowing that your choices are about you and what’s right for your life, and not listening too much to outside distractions can be helpful. It may be right for you to move into industry, to step back from clinical, to move into strategy or policy, only you can judge. There can be perceived judgement linked to leaving a standard academic path, but career paths are so much more diverse and flexible than they used to be, and so we should not just accept but embrace the freedom that creates.

Define yourself, don’t let others do it for you

The truth is, if you don’t define yourself you will be defined by other people. It is natural for human beings to want to put each other into boxes, that’s how we process and see the world, but you need to step up and choose which boxes are right for you and not be scared if they are perceived as different or unusual. Knowing how to communicate who you are, your unique selling points, and almost developing your own brand, can also help others understand and support you.

If others start to define you it can be easy to become a passenger in the early stages of your career, and then once you’ve established yourself enough to know who you are you’ve travelled down a path that takes time to re-set. Being able to communicate your values, beliefs and core vision, is essential in so many different interactions, be they in your personal or professional life. Doing this well means you are less likely to swayed or worse mis-labelled, leading you to end up somewhere that is out of alignment with who you are and where you want to be. This path leads to unhappiness and real issues with career satisfaction and fulfilment. Don’t be a passenger in someone else’s story, or an imitation of someone else’s aspirations, work hard to ensure you are the leading character in your own life. That is the path to real satisfaction in your career and supports you finding the happiness you deserve in your day to day life.

All opinions in this blog are my own

If you would like more tips and advice linked to your PhD journey then the first every Girlymicrobiologist book is here to help!

This book goes beyond the typical academic handbook, acknowledging the unique challenges and triumphs faced by PhD students and offering relatable, real-world advice to help you:

  • Master the art of effective research and time management to stay organized and on track.
  • Build a supportive network of peers, mentors, and supervisors to overcome challenges and foster collaboration.
  • Maintain a healthy work-life balance by prioritizing self-care and avoiding burnout.
  • Embrace the unexpected and view setbacks as opportunities for growth and innovation.
  • Navigate the complexities of academia with confidence and build a strong professional network


This book starts at the very beginning, with why you might want to do a PhD, how you might decide what route to PhD is right for you, and what a successful application might look like.

It then takes you through your PhD journey, year by year, with tips about how to approach and succeed during significant moments, such as attending your first conference, or writing your first academic paper.

Finally, you will discover what other skills you need to develop during your PhD to give you the best route to success after your viva. All of this supported by links to activities on The Girlymicrobiologist blog, to help you with practical exercises in order to apply what you have learned.

Take a look on Amazon to find out more

Hold on Tight Its Going to Be a Bumpy Ride: The truth about my journey from trainee to consultant

girlymicro Healthcare Science, Microbiology (Clinical) , , , , , ,

Firstly, lets start with an apology. I’ve haven’t posted for a month as I’ve been struggling health wise and not really been able to get to a laptop to be able to write. Although annoying, it has given me plenty of time to think about what I might want to write next, so hopefully you’ll forgive me.

Now, onto the present. I’ve been in post for 20 years this month, and have also just spent some time recording a couple of webinars that covered bits about the journey to consultant. It felt timely, therefore, to put something out there talking about my experience of the consultant journey. Word of warning, though, this is only my experience, and everyone’s journey is different. I hope my sharing this it will help others, both in validating the aspiration but also in supporting expectation setting by talking about what it was really like to go through. Frankly, I want to be clear that it is never as linear as it appears from the outside and that that is perfectly OK.

So, let’s start at the very beginning. On my first day in post (all the way back in 2004) I was told that I was on an 11 year programme from trainee to consultant, and boy did I drink that cool aid and believe that would be the truth, after all these people were my bosses, supervisors and mentors. Sadly, it transpired that although they were being inspiring they were also far from being completely honest in terms of disclosing how straight forward, or not, the programme and progression actually were. I am now a Consultant Healthcare Scientist, although it took me 16 years rather than 11. Now I’ve reached the promise land I want to be clear that it was no where near the linear journey that I was sold on recruitment and there was a lot of struggle at every single stage. That being said however, now I’ve crossed the line, I wouldn’t have had it any other way. It was dealing with those barriers and obstacles that made me really decide who I was and what I wanted. It was also where most of the learning was truly at. So I wanted to write a blog post that doesn’t sell the ideal but discusses the realities of what some of those barriers looked like and to make those facing them a) feel less isolated and b) know they can be overcome.

You have to be doing the job to get the job

This one took me a long time to fully comprehend, as it can feel counter intuitive, but you have to already be doing most of the role in order to be able to get the role permanently. It is easy, in moments of frustration, to turn around and say ‘that’s not what I’m paid to do’ or ‘if they want me to do that job they need to pay me for it’. There are definitely times when you need to dig your heels in about workload and boundaries, but this generally needs to be the nuclear option. For the most part, you need to be prepared to roll your sleeves up and jump in to get the experience so that you are well placed to advocate for a post to be created, if that’s your aspiration, or to enable you to apply elsewhere with confidence. For me, I learnt huge amounts when I provided maternity cover for a year as a trainee. It built trust and showed willing to my clinical lead as well as providing me with experiences I would not have had in any other circumstance, enabled me to springboard into my next post, and meant my clinical lead wanted me stay enough they found money at the end of my training. Maintaining an openness to opportunities and an awareness of the fact that stepping up, although not always recognised financially or otherwise, does come with benefits on all sides and is an important part of playing the long game.

There is no single way to get from A to B

When I started, I thought the journey would be straight forward. I’d finish training, I’d get my 4th year funded, I’d get a Clinical Scientist post. Then I would work towards FRCPath and a PhD, hopefully moving into a Principle Clinical Scientist post. Once I’d achieved my tick boxes, my loyalty and hard work would be rewarded and a Consultant post would be forth coming. That’s just not the way work places and budgets work however. On this one patience is THE virtue, and the sooner you can acknowledge that A doesn’t immediately lead to B, the better for your mental well being. That said, the training pathway now available for Healthcare Scientists does make, at least the early stages, more straight forward.

Counter intuitively I’m going to say that, looking back, not having access to the straight forward route has been the most beneficial thing that could have happened to me. I would never have ended up with a clinical academic career if I hadn’t needed to acquire further salary funding and a PhD. I would never have ended up in Infection Prevention and Control if my training programme had been funded for the full four years. So many of the things I value the most only came about because I had to find ways around barriers and due to glorious happenstance. Despite being challenging in the moment, I’m grateful for every detour taken.

When it comes down to it, the person responsible for your progression is you

This one may feel harsh to hear, but no one is as invested in your career as you are. I’ve had a fair few people over years who’ve come to me and said that they deserve to be given X or Y. No matter how true this may be, this isn’t how it works in reality. If you want something to happen, you have to be the driving force to make it so. You are the star of your own movie.

I think a good example, for me, of this was my training programme.  I was really fortunate that no one would block anything I wanted to do. The flip side of that coin was that no one sorted anything out on my behalf. It was my responsibility. I could go to any clinic, shadow anyone I wanted to shadow, but I had to reach out to find the contacts and arrange it. I had to have a vision of where I wanted to be and put together the pieces to enable me to get there. This is, in turn, enormously freeing and terrifying. It taught me early to be the master of my own destiny, and this is an important lesson for anyone on this pathway,  irrespective of how supportive your surroundings at some point you will have to make it on your own.

You will hear a lot of no

One of the reasons to learn early to be your own driving force is that you will hear a lot of no as you under take this journey, whether that be linked to funding, exams, or posts. If you haven’t set your own direction then it can be hard to keep driving, as you may not be sure what you keep pushing for. As the old adage says, if you don’t have faith in yourself, no one else is likely to.

A lot of the no you hear will not be personal, a lot of it will be nothing to do with you or your skills. That doesn’t stop it from being hard to hear or from it feeling personal when it is not. A key skill that isn’t much talked about is learning how to respond to these challenges. You need to move to a place where you are able to process and move on without carrying that rejection with you. To learn from the moment and then let it go, so you always emerge a stronger, better person for the experience.

You have to know what matters

Something that can really help when facing the barriers and challenges along the way is being really clear what matters and why you are pursuing the choices you’ve made. Why does this route align with your own personal values and beliefs? If you understand your ‘why’ then you can weather the delays. It makes it so much easier to get back up when you’ve taken a knock.

The other side of this, which we don’t talk about anywhere near as much, is the importance of knowing what doesn’t matter. You can’t fight a battle on all fronts, and there will be positions you get into when you discover that you are fighting for something out of habit or without thinking about it. This is a waste of energy that you could be focusing on something that actually matters to you. Developing the self reflection to know when this is the case and using it to remove yourself from the arena is one of the most freeing and valuable skills you can invest in. I learnt this late, and I really wish I’d realised it earlier.

It is not an even playing field

I started this journey as pretty naive. I think I genuinely thought everyone would have a similar set of challenges and barriers to overcome. This just isn’t true. I know people who’ve become Consultants over a weekend with no external advert or interview. I know of trainees who’ve gone from point A directly to point B because their faces fit and everything aligned for them, not many but some. The challenging reality is that sometimes the playing field just isn’t even. Some disciplines are more set up for straight forward progression than others. Some disciplines have a bigger medical leadership who may not understand the role of Healthcare Scientists. In all honesty, being a woman in science is also not always straightforward. The gender issues are not always as obvious, but they are definitely still there, and that’s before we even start talking about other diversity issues.

When confronted with moments where this imbalance becomes apparent, we always have 2 choices, you can quit, or you can continue to fight. One of my core values has always been about parity of access, and one of the reasons I became a Lead Healthcare Scientist was to be in a position where I had the capacity to influence in this area. So when you come across inequality on your journey, whether it’s something you face or become aware of as an ally, I would always encourage you to be the change you want to see and to remember these moments when you are in a position to make life different for those that follow you.

Know that it’s OK to change your mind

So far, I’ve talked a lot about making Consultant, but I think it’s important to talk about the fact that it’s OK to also not want to end up as one. Life is about far more than work, and even in work we all find different sources of joy. The job role as a Consultant is not the same as a qualified Clinical Scientist. You won’t get lab time. There’s an expectation that it’s not a 9 – 5 role, and you will sacrifice a lot to get there, both financially and in your home life. It’s not the right choice for everyone, irrespective of your capability to do the role if you chose. I just wanted to take a moment out to write something that is supportive of starting along this route and then deciding it isn’t for you, for all kinds of different reasons.

Sometimes, I think people feel pressured to continue as ‘I’ve started so I must finish’. I love where I’ve ended up, and it was always my passion. If that wasn’t the case, then I would always support ending up where your passion does lie. That could be in the lab, in education, in quality or leadership. We are so lucky to have so many different options.  I’m also aware that I talk about ending up working where your passion lies, and that is also not right for everyone. For many people, that passion doesn’t lie at work at all but with other aspects of their lives, and work is just what enables those things to happen. In my clunky way, I suppose what I’m trying to say is you do you boo and don’t let the pressure of expectation or external influences lead you down a pathway that isn’t right for you.

Bring yourself to every interaction

This all brings me onto something that also took me a long time to embrace. You can’t spend a career spanning decades pretending to be somebody else. For about my first 5 years in post, I didn’t really talk about the things that interested me. I didn’t talk about being a gamer and a geek because I was just really concerned about any judgement and how that might impact my career progression. It took me a while to accept that putting on a front is both really tiring and limits the amount of genuine relationship building you can do.

That said, I acknowledge that it can also be really hard to turn up as your whole self. I know there are some leaders out there who say we don’t owe our full selves to work, but I don’t think I know how to do it any other way. If I want those I lead to share something of themselves so we can build true connections, then I don’t think I can do differently.  I’m not saying that everyone has to share every aspect of their lives, but I think I have to lead by example. For me, this means embracing the fact that I am not perfect and that I will have bad days as well as good, and make it OK to talk about those things. For me, that opens up dialogue on coping strategies and deeper dialogue versus pretending that everything is perfect. Everyone brings something different and we should honour that difference by embracing it rather than hiding who we are.

Sometimes, it’s just a case of continuing to show up

I’ve talked a bunch about some of the reasons that making Consultant may involve surmounting or finding a way around barriers. I think one of the things we talk less about is the fact that the thing that often makes the most different is continuous effort. At its heart it’s about continuing to show up, on good days and on bad. It’s about demonstrating commitment and being in it for the long haul.

Now, when I say continuous, no one expects every day to be the same, but there is a consistency linked to intention. If you are clear where your ambition lies and stick to it, it is easier for those around you to also factor that into their thinking. If you are changing the goal and ambition regularly, then can be harder for those trying to support you. It’s not that you can’t change your mind, but you should try not to scatter gun your approach. Making Consultant, to me, like getting a PhD, mostly seems to be about a tenacity of purpose that means you keep showing up, combined with the patience to know it will happen eventually.

Always remember why you started the journey

I think many of you will know that patience is not my greatest asset and so I found the journey so frustrating at times, as I had such a clear vision that was not always shared by others. For this reason, you really need to know that the pursuit of this is right for you, right for you when start, but also stays right for you along the way. It’s that clarity of purpose that can re-centre you when things are tough or when you are facing those no’s. Without it you could easily falter and it may be that it really isn’t the right option for you.

The other reason to have that clarity of purpose is that it is not like reaching the destination transports you to a land of rainbows and bunnies. Consultant roles have their own challenges, and in many ways just having the title doesn’t really change anything. The job is still the job. Therefore, if you aren’t sure along the way, you may just be signing up for more of something that may not be what you want it to be. The flip side of that coin is that if you are sure, and know what you are working for, you are likely to end up in the job you’ve dreamed of and aspired towards for over a decade, and that feels pretty damned good.

The people make the journey worthwhile

I just wanted to finish with something that has struck me more and more as I moved along the stages to becoming a Consultant. Although all the professional stages feel significant, it’s the people I’ve met along the way that I am most grateful for. It’s these people who will stick with you long after the nerves and stresses of an exam are just a distant memory. They will be the ones that guide and pick you up when you hear the no and face the obstacles. They are the ones that, when they celebrate with you, make the celebrations really worthy of the name. So don’t be so focused on putting one foot in front of the other that you forget to look up and find time to develop the relationships that will last a life time.

All opinions in this blog are my own