Many career options are available after graduation in research, technology development, administration, education, policy, business, writing, law, and consulting. The University of Richmond has a good exercise to help you determine what is most important to you in a job. An Individual Development Plan can also help you in your decision. Vanderbilt University has IDPs for both students and postdocs. InterSECT has job simulations available for a wide variety of scientific careers.
Informational interviews are a great way to learn more about a potential career. The NIH has a guide to informational interviews. They also have a YouTube channel all about careers and lots of great links to videos and other resources related to science careers. More on informational interviews is available from Monster, Harvard Business Review, Career Contessa, and Forbes. Connections are always useful for learning about job opportunities. Information on networking is available from Forbes, Glassdoor, and Kangan.
Professional societies such as ASBMB, ASCB, and AAAS have career development resources and job postings on their websites. If you’re attending an Experimental Biology meeting, be sure to visit FASEB’s Career Center. ASBMB and the NIH also have career blogs. If you’re considering a postdoc in your future, be sure to check out ASBMB’s webinar Navigating life as a postdoc. NIGMS has a series of webinars, many of which are about specific career pathways. The NIH Office of Intramural Training and Education has frequent career and resilience events, many of which are available online.
If you are interested in teaching or would like more information about teaching, you can join the Graduate Student Teachers of Central Arkansas.
More information on various career paths and job opportunities is available on the Graduate School website.
Career Mentoring Program
To catalyze the exploration of diverse career opportunities in the biomedical sciences, we offer a Career Mentoring Program to current students. Trainees who are considering a career beyond academic research will be partnered with UAMS alumni who have pursued successful careers in a variety of areas, including law, government, industry, higher education, public policy, and scientific writing. For more information please contact Dr. Robert Eoff.