Members of the Career Panel tell their stories. They are, from left to right, Brett Findley, Susan Arruda, Eric Balicky, Gavin Barnard, and Niranjan Bose.
For grad students inching toward graduation, thoughts on the future can be terrifying. After four or more years in Hanover, life outside of Dartmouth can seem challenging and somewhat foreign, and the job search downright daunting. However, this past homecoming weekend, graduate student's fears were relieved by alums who confirmed that yes, there is a life outside of Dartmouth.
Arts and Science graduate students kicked off homecoming weekend on Friday with the Alumni Career Panel. This discussion was a chance for five former PhD students to answer the all-important question: “What are the career options for a Dartmouth PhD?” The panel offered advice on both traditional and non-traditional careers.
Two panel members are currently assistant professors at liberal arts colleges. Brett Findley, who earned his PhD in chemistry in 1998 from Charles Braun's laboratory, has taught at St. Michael's College for the past 5 years. He always “loved being in college”, so it was a natural progression for him to enter a career in academia.
Susan Arruda knew she wanted to teach after earning her PhD in Biology from Patrick Dolph's laboratory. Her advice to students considering careers in academia was practical; build up your resume with teaching experience. “It is important to have experience running your own classroom, you have to do more than just TA.” She suggested pursuing adjunct faculty positions after graduation, and emphasizing that although adjunct positions are not financially rewarding, they are a good way to build experience for a competitive resume.
After hearing about traditional careers, the panel switched gears to non-traditional careers such as patent law, consulting and industry. Eric Balicky has been working at a law office since earning his PhD in 2004 from Sharon Bickel's laboratory in Biology. Balicky said he, “wanted a career that was writing intensive,” and found the solution in patent law.
The fourth alum on the panel was Niranjan Bose who recently graduated from Ron Taylor's laboratory with a PhD in Microbiology. During Bose's 3rd summer at Dartmouth he enrolled in the Tuck summer bridge program and became interested in business. He currently works as an associate consultant for SDG in Boston and acts as a technical expert on projects. Bose credits graduate school for “fostering basic skills such as writing, presenting and working with others.”
Final panelist Gavin Barnard lent insight into a career in the biotech industry. His advice for both traditional and non-traditional careers is to “go to conferences, network while you are there, and dress the part”. Before earning his PhD, Barnard worked in the biotech industry and after completing his PhD in Engineering in 3 years; he now works at GlycoFi as a Fermentation Engineer.
This year homecoming was more than bonfires, tailgating and football games, it was also an opportunity to network with past alums. Students who attended the Alumni Career Panel were offered career suggestions while being reassured that a PhD is professionally rewarding in both traditional and non-traditional settings.
~Cary Boyd 10/24/05
