Keeping your career on an upwards path needs to be the goal of any scientific professional. It helps you stay engaged with the daily tasks at the office, and your personal life benefits as well. Whatever your ultimate career goals, it is important to always give a full effort to achieve them.
With a rewarding career in one of the STEM disciplines in mind, here are seven ideas sure to improve your prospects for success. Good luck in your endeavors!
Continuing Education Is a Must
If you hope to either supercharge your lab and technical skills, or perhaps make it to the corner office someday, continuing your education is a requirement. Combining an MBA with a scientific undergraduate degree especially makes for a nice pairing. Additionally, be sure to take advantage of any tuition reimbursement policy at your company.
Display Your Leadership Acumen
Take any opportunity to show off your leadership skills. For example, an initiative to improve the efficiency of the laboratory at your company definitely gets you noticed by your executive team.
Enhance Your Professional Network
Building a robust professional network definitely helps your career prospects. An active LinkedIn account helps connect with you with other science professionals. Consider attending any conferences related to your discipline, as they are great for networking.
Become a Thought Leader in Your Field
If you are a talented writer, publishing an article or two helps position yourself as a thought leader in your field. Creating a blog for your content is another option. Posting articles on a blog and on your LinkedIn account gives your career prospects a boost.
Earn a Certification in Your Scientific Discipline
Becoming certified in your scientific field provides another way to advance your career. Once again, check with your company to see if they will reimburse you for the cost of your certification test.
Understand the Business Behind Your Company
A keen understanding of the business that drives your company — no matter its specific scientific area — offers a great opportunity to improve your career prospects. We already talked about earning an MBA to compliment your science degree, and any measure of business acumen helps your career even without the advanced degree.
Be Clear About Your Career Goals
Taking the time to clearly define your career goals, and developing a plan to achieve them puts you on the path to professional success. Discuss these goals with your supervisors or mentors to learn their own insights.
When you need additional advice on career development in science, talk to the team at Synerfac. As one of the top STEM staffing agencies in Philadelphia and the Tri-State area, we work with some of the top companies in the region. Connect with us soon!