During my tenure as a doctoral student in cell biology, I often felt that the only skills valued by my PI were hard work and perseverance.  When outsiders would say to me, “Wow, Cell Biology… You must be REALLY smart,” I would retort that a rock could get a PhD, so long as the rock was persistent.  Only now, three years post- graduation have I fully realized how much my graduate school experience taught me and how transferable the skills I gained have been. 

I now work for the government in science policy and scientific administration.  Prior to taking my current position, I spent two years as a Presidential Management Fellow at the NIH, where I rotated through 6 different offices in diverse job areas.  Throughout these rotations, three things proved the keys to my success; all three stemmed from my graduate school training.

1)    Humility.  I personally can’t imagine a more humbling experience than 6+ years of failed experiments to remind you that no matter how well you did in school; how stellar your test scores were; how glowing your recommendation letters from undergraduate mentors were: you are just a person.  This grounding in reality enabled me to make real connections with almost every person with whom I worked throughout my fellowship and beyond.  I heard tales of other Fellows who looked down their noses at administrative assistants and marveled at their short-sightedness.  You never know when a good relationship with an assistant can get you time on an important person’s calendar. Furthermore, people notice how you treat others and word travels fast through the hidden networks underlying agency operations.  A bad reputation can haunt your career for years to come.

2)    Creative problem solving.  I, like many graduate students I know, faced a moment when I needed to completely rethink my thesis project.  At that point, my PI had pretty much lost interest in my work, since I hadn’t yielded any interesting data for what seemed like eons.  I realized that if anyone were going to turn the ship around, it would have to be me.  I devised a new way to address the questions I was studying, which ultimately enabled me to complete my studies.  This self-motivated approach to problem solving has been paramount to my success  since post graduate school.  Where others may have given up, I have been able to see alternative ways to get where I need to be.  Every job presents challenges, and the insight and courage to tackle them head-on are hallmarks of a productive employee and effective leader.
  
3)    Written and oral communication skills.  For a substantial portion of graduate school, I was the only native English speaker in my lab, including my PI.  This afforded me opportunities that few graduate students have: significant experience writing and revising NIH grants, as well as manuscripts for publication.  In addition, the numerous presentations required of students helped me to get over my fear of public speaking and to deliver clear oral explanations of my work.  Both of these experiences have been invaluable to my success in the government.  Communication skills are among the most important in any job.  Gaining additional experience in writing and speaking, such as teaching a class, applying for funding, or participating in an extracurricular activity will serve you in good stead, no matter what career path you choose.

I can now look back on the trials of my graduate career with gratitude for what they taught me. In pursuing an alternate career path, there is no doubt: persistence is important.  But I think it is safe to say that it takes more than a rock to translate the graduate school experience into a successful and  fulfilling career outside the ivory tower.