Career Options

Gordon EmslieOklahoma State University

OutlineCareer Path Options

• Company• University

Getting Hired

Making Progress – Role of Research

Tenure – Concept and Reality

• Government

General Discussion

Graduate Student

Graduate Student

Company

Graduate Student

CompanyFaculty Member

Graduate Student

CompanyFaculty Member

Postdoc

Graduate Student

Government Laboratory

CompanyFaculty Member

Postdoc

Graduate Student

Government Laboratory

CompanyFaculty Member

Postdoc

Graduate Student

Government Laboratory

CompanyFaculty Member

Administration

Postdoc

Graduate Student

Government Laboratory

CompanyFaculty Member

Administration

Retire

Postdoc

Graduate Student

Government Laboratory

CompanyFaculty Member

Administration

Retire

Postdoc

Graduate Student

Government Laboratory

CompanyFaculty Member

Administration

Retire

Play Golf

Postdoc

Graduate Student

Postdoc

Government Laboratory

CompanyFaculty Member

Administration

Retire

Play Golf

“Post-Doc”• Also known as

– Research associate– NRC Fellow– Postdoctoral Fellow

• Midway between being a student and working with students

• Not common in other fields (engineering, humanities), but

• Golden opportunity to identify yourself

Career Contrast

Company/University/Government

Company

• Can hire “spontaneously” in response to applicant availability

• Generally pays quite well!BUT• No tenure!• Often doing “other people’s work”• Job generally split between centrally and

externally funded tasks

University• Typically hire in response to

department/university needs– Teaching– Growth– Research initiatives

• Opportunities not necessarily well-timed to your availability

Universities (US)• Research I

• Research II

• 4-Year

• Community College

• 9-month vs. 12-month; summer salary

• Tenure!

University Positions• Research Scientist (affiliated with

Research Center)

• Research Faculty

• Tenure-track faculty (“professor”)

• Administration (solving other people’s problems)

Steps to Getting Hired at a University

• Graduate (no ABD!!)• Post-doc• Attend (and be noticed at) meetings• Visit institutions in advance (e.g., seminars)• Talk to colleagues; let them know you are/will be available• Try for institutions in the “family”; use advisor’s

connections• Review announcements (Physics Today, SolarNews,

Chronicle of Higher Education, other)• Secure reference commitments• Prepare “teaching philosophy” and “research goals”• Write thoughtful, institution specific, cover letter (2-3

pages is fine)

The InterviewThey are in charge!

• Seminar – substance and pedagogy

• Conversations with future colleagues

• Interviews with students

• Interviews with administrators

• The Department Head

Finalizing the HireYou are in charge!!

• Salary• Research Support (students, facilities,…)• Colleagues• Startup Package• Understand the periodic review process• Graduated Teaching Load?• Define expectations clearly

Starting Out as a Faculty Member

• Teaching (preparation!)• Graduate student supervision• Seek mentoring by senior faculty• Research

– papers– proposals (PI or CoI?)

• Accept offers from journal editors, agency directors

• Gauge service role (science, university, public)• Time management• Stress management

Tenure• Academic Freedom!

• 6-year clock – “eigenstate forcing”

• Preparation– Keep comprehensive file updated– Maintain “uniform” productivity

• Life after tenure

University Administration• Department Committees• Graduate Coordinator• Department Chair/Head• Dean (College, Graduate)• Center Director• Vice President for Research• Provost• President• Chancellor

Government Laboratory• NASA (GSFC, MSFC, ….)

• NRL

• NOAO

• NOAA

• Typically more “project-driven” than university

Government Laboratory (GS)• Hiring by announcement• No salary negotiation!• 1-2 year “probation period” – almost instant

tenure!• May have to perform other tasks related to lab

operations:– Proposal administration– Mission management

• New – Full-Cost Accounting!

The InterviewThey are in charge!

• Seminar – substance, relation to mission of group

• Your long-range research plans

• Conversations with future colleagues

• Interviews with administrators

• The Branch Head

Finalizing the HireYou are in charge!!

• Salary• Research Support (students, facilities,…)• Startup Package• Understand the periodic review process• Graduated Teaching Load?• Define expectations clearly

Finalizing the HireYou are in charge!!

• Salary• Research Support (students, facilities,…)• Startup Package• Understand the periodic review process• Graduated Teaching Load?• Define expectations clearly

Finalizing the HireYou are in charge!!

• Salary• Research Support (students, facilities,…)• Startup Package• Understand the periodic review process• Graduated Teaching Load?• Define expectations clearly

Government Laboratory (Contractor)

• Most hires are in this category– Company– University affiliate

• Hired by/working for company/university • Perform tasks related to mission objectives:

– Hardware development– Software development– Subcontract work

• Tasks originate/assigned by Government civil servant

→→Interesting employer/employee relationship!Interesting employer/employee relationship!

Government Laboratory Administration

• Branch Head

• Laboratory Chief (SES)

• Science Director

• Set goals and direction for laboratory

• Still solving other people’s problems

Other Roles in the Community• Government Agency

– permanent– “rotator”

• Observatory Director• Education & Outreach• Societies & Divisions

– Committee member– Officer– Executive Director

Serving Many Masters• Your institution

– Teaching– Helping institution realize its goals

• Supervision of Graduate Students and Postdocs • Your community

– Paper review– Proposal review– Hosting meetings– Forming collaborations– Mission development– Service on Advisory Committees (MOWG, Universe

Working Group, Roadmap, Decadal Review,…)• Yourself

Role of Research

• Varies by career type

• In some fields, not always gauged by funding rate, but…

• In Solar Physics, it is!– University

• Summer salary

• Tenure (and post-tenure support for others)

– Government – job assignment– Company – job security

Funding Research• With full-cost accounting, now necessary in

virtually all career options• Required $$

~2 gross salary

~1.5 other• Travel

• Publication

• Equipment

• Subcontracts

• Supplies, materials

• Requires steady diet of grant-writing activity!

AGE – a timeline/case study

Graduate Student

Postdoc

Government Laboratory

CompanyFaculty Member

Administration

Retire

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Graduate Student

Postdoc

Government Laboratory

CompanyFaculty Member

Administration

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Government Laboratory

CompanyFaculty Member

Administration

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Graduate Student

Postdoc

Government Laboratory

CompanyFaculty Member

Administration

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Graduate Student

Postdoc

Government Laboratory

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Government Laboratory

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Graduate Student

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Points to Remember

• Your professional goals are largely self-motivated

However,….

• Paid employment usually entails service beyond your personal and professional goals

• Weighing these “extra” obligations is paramount in deciding on a career path

• “It’s a wonderful life”