Career Development
Prathap Nagaraja Shastri, PhD
Scientific Director
Johnson and Johnson
Spring House, Pennsylvania
.jpg "Pankajini Mallick, PhD photo")
Pankajini Mallick, PhD
Principal Scientist, Preclinical Pharmacokinetics | DMPK
Neurocrine Biosciences
San Diego, California
Nimita Dave, PhD
Director, Clinical Pharmacology
Nimbus Therapeutics
Roslindale, Massachusetts
Did you “go blank” or “went into oblivion” or “simply couldn’t put your thoughts together” when asked about your individual development plan? I share that feeling!
As Scientists, we are passionate, creative, dedicated, hardworking, resilient, and determined. Our keen interest in our area of research/work keeps us motivated to give our best to whatever we do. But does that make us successful? Or just good at our skills?
How do we weigh our efforts? Wait for opportunities to come by to develop ourselves or seek out opportunities to shape our own path? Whichever side you are, career planning helps you identify where you might have a little more learning to do.
Grad school gives an opportunity to develop variety of skills at once and pivot in different directions. Knowing where you fit in and which road you want to take or when it’s time to deviate your path is “Career planning”. As much as you may want it to, your career path will ‘not likely’ follow a straight line, having a career plan gives you space for ongoing personal reflection and will help you stay motivated during all the twists and turns. And, most importantly, it will guide you during times when you are considering career changes by helping you figure out whether your choice truly fits the plan.
Suggested AAPS community: Pharmacokinetics, Pharmacodynamics, & Drug Metabolism Community (PPDM)