How to figure out what to do after graduate while in studies?

[bob_mcbobson]

Hey everybody,

I am about to start my master's in bioinformatics in a few weeks. I have started learning online some basic programming in order to be better prepared for class, also started looking over my old notes on molecular biology, and so on, but I have been troubled in the past few weeks with other kinds of questions– namely, what will I do after my Master's is complete?

For a variety of logistical and emotional reasons, I had no idea what to pursue after I finished my Bachelor's in biochemistry. I did some internships, but I felt lost and overwhelmed with the number of options available. The fact that I was also having to decide what to pursue between two continents (I went to school in USA, but my parents live in Europe) made the decision process much more difficult. I eventually found a graduate program that fascinates me and will give me a versatile set of skills that can be applied in a variety of fields. But given its relatively short duration, I'm worried about running into the same blockade as before. Although obviously the circumstances will be much different than before, what can I do avoid this?

At the heart of this issue is the hackneyed "I don't know what I'm doing with my life" theme, which I will not get into mostly because I have found that it isn't constructive to try answering that question head-on. Instead I want to learn about what strategies I can implement in the near future so that I can figure out whether I should find a job/internship, do a second Master's, or even possibly pursue a PhD as soon as this Master's program is finished. I am open to any and all tips from anyone who has been through this kind of predicament.

[juilletmercredi]

If you don't know what to do, don't pursue a second master's or get a PhD. The best way to find out what you want to do is, ironically, to pick something and then identify what you like and don't like about it. Then you make a series of career moves until you find something that's relatively satisfying to you.

People who feel overwhelmed by the myriad of career options often feel that way because they have a perception that there is one "right" career or job for them, and when they find it, they will reach their passion and feel blissfully happy or something like that. But that's not the case for the majority of people. Many people actually feel pretty "meh" about their jobs. And even the ones who really like their jobs often like the jobs primarily because of the tasks they do every day and their coworkers, or the fact that they can go home every day at 5 pm so they can be with their children or partner, or the fact that their job enables them to live in a city they love or pays them enough that they can keep up their hobbies. Very few people feel abiding passion about their careers, and as you'll see in the comments at the thread I linked, sometimes people who do feel that say they wish they didn't - because then they could separate work from their personal life more easily and leave work at work.

A lot of recent grads also feel like they have to end up in their perfect career right away, or fairly soon, but that's also not necessarily true. Many people make a series of lateral moves (or vertical ones) into the position they eventually want. Some people start off in one field only to find out that they really want to be in another (or move there out of pragmatism).

With that said, here's what I think you should do:

• Take a look at some job ads in your field right now. Look at the jobs that have descriptions that seem even mildly interesting to you. What kinds of skills do they ask for? Are there specific kinds of software programs or analysis techniques they want people to know about? What kinds of experiences do they want applicants to have? Use those as a basis for your future plans.
• While in your MS program, take some classes that seem interesting to you and also teach you some of the skills you saw when you looked at job ads.
• See if you can find a part-time job, maybe starting second semester, in your field or one close to it in which you can learn some of the skills and get a bit of experience. This is also your opportunity to see what tasks you like to do every day and which ones you would rather not, so you get a feel for what kind of work you might like to do.
• Visit your university's or department's career center. Many schools have great career centers that have career inventories and counselors on hand to talk you through the process of selecting a career, or set of careers, to aim for. (But take them with a grain of salt; no test is going to be able to tell you the perfect job for you.)
• Starting probably in late fall of this year, start poking around to find a summer internship. Anything that sounds interesting, do it; you're not looking for perfection, but just the opportunity to identify what you like and don't like and get a little experience.

Then, when you're ready to look for jobs next fall, you don't have to start out with the attitude that you are looking for something very specific. Instead, through these prior activities, you'll have gotten yourself down to some key words and titles that you might use as search terms when looking for jobs. It gives you an idea of what you are looking for in the job description and what kinds of titles people who do that stuff have.

The key is, try not to think about this as "I am trying to decide what to do with my LIFE!" Think about it as "I'm just trying to find what my next step is," with the knowledge that you can always change directions if you want to. (After all, my training is in public health and psychology with an eye towards academia, and I currently work in applied tech research. And I didn't have to get another degree to do that.)

And, I just want to repeat this, because it's important: if you don't know what to do, don't do a second master's or do a PhD. Quite frankly, time is money. You don't want to spend productive years worth income (and retirement savings!) earning a degree that you may not ever need - a PhD especially.

[eeee1923]

I also just wanted to add that AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science) has this free online tool called the 'Individual Development Plan' (here) which basically consists of two fairly reasonable surveys that take into account your skills and values and spits out the top 20 career paths that currently meet your goals. It is not an absolute guide but it does provide you with a great starting point - also it lists some references that can give you more info about said path. 

[bob_mcbobson]

hey juilletmercredi, I'm going to make a screenshot of your post and then hang it up on my wall. In all seriousness, this is the kind of information I wish I had received when I was younger and starting undergrad.

Anyways, i've already found the Student Employment center at my university, and I'll try and talk to my professors about potential internships. I'm afraid my next summer will be booked up with my Master's thesis project, but hopefully in the autumn I will be able to sort out my next step. 

Thanks so much for your response.

[bob_mcbobson]

I also just wanted to add that AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science) has this free online tool called the 'Individual Development Plan' (here) which basically consists of two fairly reasonable surveys that take into account your skills and values and spits out the top 20 career paths that currently meet your goals. It is not an absolute guide but it does provide you with a great starting point - also it lists some references that can give you more info about said path. 

thanks for the link! Will start filling it out now