Thanks to Chad Orzel at Uncertain Principles for finding an interesting link to a post at Science Progress:  “What Does This Generation Think it Means to be a Scientist?“  Chris Mooney writes

If there’s one thing you ought to be reading in relation to science this week, let me suggest it’s Bruce Alberts’ extremely important recent editorial in Science about the changing career trajectories of young researchers. Alberts, a Science Progress advisory board member, provides data to back up something that has struck me anecdotally on many visits to college campuses—namely, hordes of young scientists today don’t seem to want to follow in the footsteps of their professors.

I took Chris’ suggestion and read the editorial, and agree – you should read it.  Especially if you are currently a student studying science.  In the 12 years or so that I’ve been a professor (a profession that I love by the way) it has been a privilige to be a research mentor over 30 students.  Of those 30 students, none have followed me into academia.  So what have they done?

• Contract research
• Industrial research
• Pharmaceutical research
• Peace corps
• Stay at home parents
• Stock broker (didn’t contribute to our current economic troubles.  I think.)
• High school science teacher
• Graduate school (several in the “pipeline”, but NOT in the academia portion)
• Medical school
• Nursing
• Teaching – English language in Japan, then Austria
• State law enforcement lab in South Carolina

The above list accounts for approximately 25 of the students I’ve mentored.  If I thought hard enough about it, I’d probably be able to remember what some of the others are doing.  Only a minority have gone into careers that are directly related to chemistry.

What I’d like to do (and I really need to do this for ongoing departmental assessment) is ask them what skills their major helped them develop that have been important in their current positions.  I think the answers would probably include things like:

• Critical thinking
• Quantitative reasoning
• Oral and written communication skills
• Ability to deal with stress (that comes from writing instrumental and advanced lab reports!)
• Teamwork skills
• Continued ability to learn

So, to current students who are trying to decide what you want to do, I advise you to find something you enjoy doing.  Make it meaningful to you.  If you want to work with people, find a career that lets you do that.  If you want to blend chemistry with something else you really like (such as art, beer, wine, writing…) do it!  Maybe, eventually, we scientists will take over the world!