| I believe this pivoting example might be useful to scientists, support staff and postdocs in other fields as well (e.g., physics, chemistry, bioinformatics, material science). A few specifics that might be useful for scientists that are considering transitioning to industry. Pivot sooner rather than later. The transition might be a bit rough early on. In general, you can't get away with the heroic/cowboy approach that you can in a smaller academic setting. The interview process can be rough and might have a bit of RNG to it. Aim to jump around every 2 years (3 at the absolute most) early on in your career. This will help make sure you're leveling up your skill set, getting those hard earned experience points and seeing different approaches to the software development process. Be mindful of "infrastructure"-ish positions that might make it hard to get noticed. You probably have a high skill ceiling, but you are rough around the edges. It's essential to find a mentor that sees your potential and can help you level up (this might be challenging for remote positions). At a minimum, you'll have an order of magnitude more job opportunities and mobility. Mobility in academic projects can be challenging to navigate. It can be easier to find a place outside of the academic space where your interests and skills will be aligned. Industry can also have interesting problems to solve. I suspect that the current economic climate combined with the current clusterfuck housing market might create challenges for retaining support staff and postdocs in these academic/national lab driven projects. |