The biomedical workforce is energetic, dynamic, and creative, but it is also large—some argue unsustainably so.

When I think about this issue, it strikes me that the biomedical workforce is large only because the current traditional job market for those holding advanced degrees in biomedical sciences is either shrinking, as many biotech and pharma companies have been downsizing their research and development activities, or stagnate, as we see in academia.

So while most people either work hard to expand the traditional job market or advise decreasing the number of trainees who are awarded advanced degrees (both valid and reasonable approaches), we must do a better job of making what used to be non-traditional career trajectories for biomedical scientists more mainstream.

People find it hard to believe when I say that early-career researchers in biomedical sciences have many options and many transferable skills. This is because most of the training and mentoring that a PhD student receives in a biomedical research lab is optimized for preparing that student for a career in research. Unfortunately, students are never told that their research training equips and qualifies them for a range of career options just a few steps removed from the bench.

The following insights, tools, and strategies can help early career researchers navigate career transitions from bench science to a satisfying career, be it in academia, industry, government, law, policy, regulatory affairs, science communication, publishing, consultancy, marketing, business, entrepreneurship, or beyond. I hope these tips and tricks will not only make you better prepared to tackle career transitions but also make you a better scientist.

1. One size doesn't fit all

When it comes to careers, most of us tend to be conservative and follow in the footsteps of our elders or peers. But remember (and keep reminding yourself) that the path your advisor or your labmate took may not be the best path for you—and it is certainly not the only path that you should consider.

Not only that, but you should also recognize that careers for life are no longer a reality, so a career that fits you today may be quite different from a career that will fit you in 10 or 20 years' time. So the best thing you can do to prepare yourself for this brave new world of ever-changing interests and opportunities is to never stop learning new things, skills, and behaviors, and keep your mind open and curious. You can continue to learn, grow, and develop through formal classes, online resources (my favorite is YouTube), on-the-job training, and volunteering.

2. Honest self-reflection works

I don't think I had any career plans other than "let's see how this science thing goes" until I was in the final year of my postdoctoral work. And then all of a sudden I had to deal with that pesky question: "What do you want to be when you grow up?" I did not quite know where to begin, and I started by looking at current job openings that matched my lab and science skills and interests. This quickly started to feel like a frustrating hunt in the dark, mostly because I knew very little about jobs and job searching. So I shifted my strategies to research something I knew a lot about (or so I thought): myself.

First I took stock of things I liked and didn't like. So science went into the "like" bin, and bench science and lab work went into the "don't like" bin. Learning went into the "like" bin, and "teaching" into the "don't like" bin. Taking the time to self-reflect was an enormous help, and I got to understand my preferences and what mattered to me as a person. I found that a career as a scientific editor matched my likes very closely, and I went for it. Almost a decade later, I still feel this was a great career transition for me. Honest self-reflection was critical to opening my eyes to possibilities.

3. Get ahead with an individual development plan

So how do you go about figuring out what sorts of career options are out there? What your interests are? Where your strengths reside? Which of your skills match the career you're interested in? And which skills you may want to develop in order to be more qualified for the type of job you want to pursue?

A good place to start is with an individual development plan (IDP), a powerful approach to deliberate career planning. One tool designed with you in mind is MyIDP, which is freely available via Science Careers. MyIDP, and other IDP tools like it, includes questionnaires about your interests, skills, and values and uses the information you provide to point you in the direction of careers likely to satisfy you. Importantly, an IDP functions best if it makes sense to both you and your advisor (or manager) and requires both of you to commit to it and execute the plan.

4. Be SMART

Even with an excellent IDP in hand and complete buy in from your advisor, it might be a bit challenging to break the big picture into the actual steps you need to take in order to get there. This is where SMART goals can help keep you on track. "SMART" stands for specific, measurable, actionable, realistic, and time based, and all of these adjectives refer to goals (objectives) that you need to set for yourself (and that businesses need to set for themselves) so that you know what you need to do, and when to do it, to get from point A to point B whether in your research project or your career. This approach is universally useful: breaking down your research project into manageable chunks helps speed things up, and as you train yourself to use SMART principles on a daily basis, it will become second nature and transfer into other life situations.

5. Do sweat over SWOT

Another acronym-based tool with roots in the business world is SWOT analysis. SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, threats, and opportunities, and you don't usually hear about it in the context of self-assessment and career development. But I like it because it asks you to take not only an internal look, at personal strengths and weaknesses that are under your control (and which myIDP may pick up on), but also an external look, at opportunities and threats that you may have no control over but nevertheless must still be very much aware of.

Some threats that those in biomedical research face on a continuous basis include cuts in funding, plus competition—other scientists working on the same research problem—while opportunities may include things like an increased need for better medical communication and public awareness of science, or increasing interest in a specific scientific field, which may prompt you to shift focus.

At this point you may feel well-armed with IDP, SMART, and SWOT, but one more thing to remember is …

6. Don't do it alone

Whether you decide to follow a well-travelled career path (like a position in academia, teaching, or industry) or venture into relatively uncharted territory, you don't have to go it alone. Your advisor is definitely a great starting point here, and may turn out to be a fantastic resource, provided you share your goals and aspirations openly and honestly. I do understand that some advisors have yet to get the memo that careers in academia are not the be-all and end-all, and if you have an advisor like that you will need to be a bit more creative in finding the help you need. But regardless of whether you have a supportive or not-so-supportive advisor, you would be well-advised not to stop with them, and I encourage everyone to look for mentors outside the lab.

Another great way to get coaching, strengthen your skills, and elevate your profile in your community is to be active in a scientific society in your field. Biophysical Society, Protein Society, The American Chemical Society, The Royal Society of Chemistry, American Society for Cell Biology, and many others offer mentoring, networking, career building opportunities, and advice. Additionally, explore your home institution, as all of them have offices and staff dedicated to career advice and career building, host career fairs, and have vast alumni networks that you can link to. Finally, don't be afraid to email someone you've never met before and ask them for 15 or 30 minutes of their time.

Careers in science, as indeed in all other areas, are no longer linear, and we are witnessing major shifts of expectations and aspirations in early career researchers that match what we are seeing elsewhere. Any career is a balancing act, with many competing factors that change over time. So all any one of us can do to stay on track is to continue to learn and develop new skills by stretching goals and taking ourselves out of the comfort zone, and by remembering that self-assessment and reflection can help adjust and correct the direction of a career path to best fit our evolving preferences and needs.

Editor's note: This post was adapted from a recent talk Milka Kostic gave at the UCONN Health Center. Find the complete slides and notes here.