这是关于为什么德雷克塞尔大学的博士生应该考虑做博士后以及如何找到合适的机会的系列文章的第二部分。即将出版的一篇文章将采访该大学目前的博士后学生。
娜塔莉·切尔内茨不是德雷克塞尔大学的新学生，但她是第一次担任教职。
Chernets博士是医学院生物医学科学和专业JDB电子研究JDB电子研究生院的助理教授；博士后事务与专业发展主任；也是医学博士项目的副主任。
作为博士后事务和专业发展的首任主任，Chernets的工作重点和她的头衔一样多维度。她的主要任务是确定和统一大学的博士后社区，同时建立博士后政策和一个办公室，可以帮助博士后导航他们的德雷克塞尔经验，并根据需要将他们与其他龙联系起来。
然而，Chernets也很乐意帮助德雷克塞尔大学的博士生寻找、申请和评估博士后机会。事实上，她希望自己在德雷克塞尔大学读博士时能得到更多的帮助。
DrexelNow采访了Chernets，详细了解了她的背景、目标以及找到合适博士后的重要建议。
你有什么背景，是什么让你来德雷克塞尔的？
我要回到德雷克塞尔大学，因为我以前是电气工程的博士生。我在校外的大部分时间都是在位于卡姆登的德雷克塞尔等离子体JDB电子研究所（现为尼海姆等离子体JDB电子研究所）的实验室里度过的，这使得我很难获得专业发展的机会。然后我去了托马斯·杰斐逊大学读博士后。在这里，我接触到了不同的职业道路、不同的职业发展机会、资助写作研讨会等等。我喜欢这些活动，学习我需要知道的，或者我希望我作为JDB电子研究生知道的，并与其他博士后分享这些知识。就这样，我发现了自己对专业发展的热情，甚至成为了杰斐逊大学博士后事务处的第一位行政博士后。
I would say that this is an opportunity for me to provide something that I felt that I didn’t have access to. I will be cautious to say that it wasn’t offered, but I didn’t have the access because I was working in a remote lab without easy commuting options, and like many students I was juggling teaching and research responsibilities with course work. I’m really passionate about speaking with graduate students and postdoctoral fellows about their next steps and helping them transition to independence. There are a lot of tools that are available to help students and postdocs do so. There are resources at Drexel that are available. Some of them are new, like the Center for the Advancement of STEM Teaching and Learning Excellence, and some of them are established, like the Steinbright Career Development Center. … So for me, it’s an opportunity to provide something that I wish I had as a student. This is my way of paying it forward.
What’s your biggest advice for doctoral students about a successful transition following graduation?
My message to graduate students is this: figure out what you want to do after graduation. It’s not something that you find out when you submit your thesis or dissertation. This is something that you have to be open-minded to and engaged with throughout your studies. Not everyone has the answer of what they want to be when they’re born. Sometimes interests and circumstances change. Gaining more understanding about what a profession that interests you is and what a day on the job looks like is helpful to figure out what you’re interested in, what kind of skills you have and what kind of values are important to you — this is a holistic approach. So, for graduate students, in order to be successful later on, you’re going to have to do the legwork early on. There are many career paths that are now available to PhD holders. You need to do the research now, so that you have an idea how to get there.
What do you think are some of the biggest misconceptions students have about postdoctoral opportunities?
Some folks default into postdocs as a backup plan as opposed to being intentional about it. Not every career path will require a postdoc — for example, most science writing positions don’t. Additionally, if you are not intentional about your postdoc, you can end up in a lab that does not match your skills and interest, and you may not be as happy or as productive in that lab. So it’s a good idea to try and be intentional about looking for a postdoc and figuring out if you even need a postdoc.
Before making your decision, have a conversation with your future mentor to understand their mentoring style, as well as reach out to current and past students and postdocs to understand the atmosphere in the lab. While some students will thrive in a high-profile lab with great publications and plenty of funding, others might find that this is too much pressure. To make this decision, you need to know yourself and understand what support you need so that you can select your next mentor wisely.
Do you think a lot of current doctoral students overlook the importance in networking?
人脉真的很重要。我认为很多人对社交这个词或想法感到害怕，因为他们想象一个大而嘈杂的房间，并认为目标是收集尽可能多的名片。此外，把自己放在那里，与他人联系，为自己所做的辩护有时是很困难的。但对我来说，人际关系可以在更广泛的意义上进行。你可以使用一个叫做信息面试的工具，通过LinkedIn和你想申请的公司里的专业人士进行一对一的战略交流。信息面试本质上是一种面对面的谈话，通过电话或视频会议，你是面试官，专业人士是被面试者。你可以询问这个职位所需的技能、晋升机会、薪资范围、有用的特殊证书等等。唯一不能要求的就是一份工作。一对一的谈话比去大型会议或音乐厅以这种方式与人见面要轻松得多。
In any case, it also helps to have your elevator speech, which is a short, 90-second introduction of yourself, in case you do meet someone you would like to connect with. And remember, networking does become easier when you practice. Importantly, don’t forget to follow up with people you connect with and thank them for their time.
You don’t always have to network with PhDs, either. You can even tell your neighbors, “Hey, I’m about to graduate and I’m looking for a job.” You never know who they know. … This is enough for them to sort of pass it along and say, “Hey, I know this person, maybe I should connect you.” This way, you can increase your network without having to go into those crowded events if this is not something you are accustomed to doing.
What are the ways that people find the right fit for their postdoc?
为了找到最好的博士后职位或其他适合你的职位，你真的必须知道什么对你来说是重要的。你可以先做一个测试，比如迈尔斯-布里格斯类型指标，来了解你的沟通风格，并熟悉其他的沟通风格。一些[JDB电子研究生]学生被要求参加个人发展计划。据我所知，有些学生只是快速完成它，因为这是必修课。从我的经验来看，这份个人发展计划是一个很好的工具，可以帮助你评估自己的技能、兴趣和价值观。你应该花时间去识别这些因素。理想情况下，你的下一份工作将符合你所有的技能、兴趣和价值观。然而，并不是所有的工作都是理想的，而是应该满足尽可能多的因素。因为每个人都是不同的，有不同的优先级，所以最适合我的工作不一定最适合你。对我来说，你的价值观和兴趣比你的技能更重要一点，因为你总是可以努力提高你的技能，并获得额外的培训机会来提高它们。但是了解自己的价值观和兴趣会帮助你找到适合自己的职位。
Today, there are a lot of opportunities for PhD graduates. There are positions in academia, in industry, in government. Even in academia, the positions can be teaching positions, administrative positions, completely research positions or a combination of the three. You have to find your niche if that’s something you want to do, but there are other opportunities that can work. Keep in mind that career exploration is not a linear process. Check out this great video by my colleagues at the University of California, San Francisco to illustrate the process.
Just remember, that all of us have more than one career path that can make us productive and satisfied. Anything that you really want, you can try to obtain it.