When Career Plans Change: Finding My Place in Analytical Science

When I was in high school, I thought I had my whole career planned out. I was going to earn a bachelor’s degree in forensic science, a master’s degree, and a Ph.D. in chemistry, and then work in a forensic science crime laboratory until I became the head of one of the lab’s departments. These goals formed from watching a lot of crime scene shows, which—along with my high school chemistry teachers—inspired my love for science. I wanted to be like Abby from NCIS or Hodgins from Bones. However, life has a way of changing things, and it doesn’t always turn out quite as planned. In this post, I will discuss how I came to the job I work at today and the thought process throughout the years that led to this career choice.

After high school, the higher education portion of my goals went as planned. I attended the University of Central Florida and earned a B.S. in Forensic Science. It was there that I decided science would always be part of my life. At that point, I still wanted to be a trace evidence analyst at a forensic crime lab. After graduating, I moved up north to pursue my Master of Science at the University of New Haven. It was there that I fell in love with research and spectroscopy. My thesis focused on the analysis of fibers using various types of analytical instrumentation. Those two years changed the trajectory of my career path and ultimately led me to where I am today. I decided I wanted to focus more on research than on the traditional 9-to-5 job that working in a crime lab would entail. So, I continued my education at the University at Albany, SUNY, where I earned my Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry, still maintaining a forensic science research focus.

At SUNY Albany, I spent five years determining the time since deposition of bloodstains under various conditions. During this time, I experienced significant professional and personal growth. Professionally, I deepened my fundamental understanding of spectroscopy, expanded my research and writing skills, attended and presented at conferences, and joined several professional societies. During my Ph.D., I also tried my hand at entrepreneurship, running a start-up company for my advisor during the last two years of my program. Through these experiences, I had the pleasure of meeting scientists from all over the world who had chosen many different career paths. As my network grew, so did the possibilities for my own career. As my doctoral graduation approached, I knew I needed to decide which field I wanted to establish my career in.

At this point in my life, I had decided that my adolescent career dreams were no longer for me. My experience as a researcher and as someone who runs a start-up company showed me that I would not be happy in a job where I performed similar tasks all day long. I wanted something that would challenge me and present new problems to tackle every day. Although I decided that entrepreneurship was not where I wanted to focus on my interests, a job with new challenges each day remained my goal. Thus, the job hunt began.

I applied to what felt like a hundred jobs over the course of a few months. The constant review of job postings, CV and résumé edits, and application submissions was overwhelming at first. But eventually, I found a job that aligned with my desire for consistent challenges and my love for spectroscopy. I interviewed for and accepted a position as a Field Applications Scientist at PerkinElmer. One of the most common questions I get from friends and family is: What does that job even do? Being an Applications Scientist is not often discussed as a common post-graduation career path.

So, what is a Field Applications Scientist, and what do you do?

The core mission of a Field Applications Scientist is to drive scientific excellence by delivering expert technical support and application insight in analytical sciences. This enables customers to confidently generate accurate, reproducible data and unlock the full potential of the technologies they use in pursuit of their research and quality goals. A Field Applications Scientist works with Sales Representatives to achieve instrument sales goals by applying scientific knowledge of spectroscopy, as well as expertise in sample preparation techniques.

This job has been a different experience than I ever imagined for myself. I get to travel for work and visit customer sites, training them on our UV-Vis and fluorescence instrumentation. I also still get to work in the lab, running customer samples. I enjoy having different experiences each day. Some days I am in the lab working on projects all day; other days I am on the road for several days at a time; and sometimes I am at my computer in meetings helping customers troubleshoot issues. Although I have only been in this role for just under a year, I have learned that it is careers outside of the “traditional” paths (professor, bench chemist, R&D chemist, QA, or pharma) that truly hold my interest.

All of this is to say: take the time to explore different job possibilities. There are so many careers out there that are not discussed enough while navigating the academic gauntlet. One way to broaden your understanding of possible career paths is to join professional societies and expand your professional network. Finally, a piece of advice: you are constantly changing, both professionally and personally. Your goals and dreams are allowed to evolve as you do, so remain open to new opportunities.