How to Overcome Common Career Challenges

The newly established Office of Postdoctoral Affairs, in association with Rutgers iJOBs, recently held a workshop titled ‘How to Overcome Common Career Challenges’. This workshop was conducted by Dr. Thomas Magaldi who serves as the Manager of Career & Professional Development at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Identifying the graduate and post-doctoral training experiences as ‘training in humility’, Dr. Magaldi started off by recounting his own experiences in graduate school and subsequent post-doctoral training. He recalls that he got training throughout this period that he did not value: he attributes this as not a unique but extremely common symptom that plagues the graduate student population and even lingers during post-doctoral training phases.  Upon prompting, the crowd identified some common challenges they confront daily: insecurity of future prospects, transitioning into the next career stage, feeling ‘over educated but under experienced’, dealing with a challenging advisor, funding crunches and so on. In addition to these structural issues, internal ones such as uncertainty, rejection and competition weigh down students and post-docs the most. Dr. Magaldi stressed that the key to these problems is to identify these challenges and reach out to the community of scholars for help. He listed the common challenges faced in graduate school and beyond and suggested some remedies to alleviate them. First is, ‘loosing heart’: a steady decrease in passion for research. He suggested getting out from your own lab and taking an interest  in research outside your own arena. Listening to science commentaries on Radiolab and NPR can go a long way in peaking your interest in science again. Second is ‘learned helplessness’: failing to step outside one’s comfort zone and hence, inevitably failing to grow. He strongly encourages applying for fellowships, which not only ensures independent funding, but goes a long way in building your confidence and encourages original thinking. He also suggested short-term internships like those available in the Rutgers Office of Research and Economic Development to learn about the emerging trends in various disciplines. This can be instrumental in renewing your vigor for science. Third is the classic ‘imposter syndrome’: a sense of distorted reality that makes one believe that they do not belong to the elite community of scholars that they are a part of.  On his probing, 95% of the crowd present at the workshop confessed that they have experienced imposter syndrome at some point of time. Unfortunately, imposter syndrome can have a lingering effect on one’s career, Dr. Magaldi cautioned. The solution? Accept praise and celebrate your small and big accomplishments. If the situation escalates, it is best to reach out for peer counseling or professional help. Several such resources are available and widely used at Rutgers: Rutgers Student Wellness Program, Rutgers Work/Life balance, Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care, Rutgers Office of Postdoctoral Affairs, Rutgers CAPS program to name a few. Practicing mindfulness through yoga sessions or by using apps like Headspace, Calm etc. can also prove useful. Fourth on his list of common graduate school downfalls is being envious of your peers: the constant feeling that others around you are doing better than you are. The quite famous Stanford duck syndrome  talks about how it may seem that some ducks in a pool are peacefully swimming around, but underneath the water surface they are paddling vigorously to stay afloat.  Being a victim of such syndrome can weigh you down greatly, potentially leading you into depression. It is crucial in these moments, to think of the perks of being in graduate school. It might be prudent to gently remind yourself that in choosing to become a scholar you have committed yourself to lifelong learning. You have been trained to problem solve, which makes you extremely marketable in the long run. Active participation in career development endeavors can make you aware of the possibilities to take the next leap in your career. Volunteering at various science organizations, be it here at Rutgers or organizations like the New York Academy of Sciences, American Chemical Society (ACS), American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) etc. can not only bolster your confidence, but also go a long way in giving back to the community as a scientist. I especially enjoyed Dr. Magaldi’s simple yet accurate presentation during the event and will try to keep it in mind his advice as I brace for yet another year in graduate school.