Honor Powrie: 10 things I wish I’d known (or done better) when I started my career

When I went to university, I didn’t know what kind of career I wanted to pursue. I’d originally applied to study geophysics, but after a few weeks realized mineral exploitation wasn’t my thing and quickly switched to maths. Then, at the end of my first year, I had a range of degree options open to me and, whilst I preferred (and was better at) maths, I just didn’t feel it was my best choice for a career.

So I decided to switch again, this time to physics. During my degree, a few friends and I joined the Student Industrial Society (now known as the Bright Future Society). It gave us the chance to visit a range of companies – from micro-breweries and wine importers to TV studios, nuclear-power stations and semiconductor manufacturers. We also went to Llanwern steelworks in South Wales, where a closing session with a British Steel careers advisor really shook me up.

A feisty Yorkshireman, he started off by directly asking each of us what we planned to do after university. We were all put on the spot and our answers, which were embarrassingly unsure, failed to impress him. The advisor firmly suggested that if we didn’t know what our plans were by now, we had better find out before it was too late. For me, it was a wake-up call and when I got back to campus, I went straight to the careers office and started applying for summer student placements.

To my amazement, and despite my lack of experience, I was offered several positions and decided to take a summer job in Malvern at the Royal Signals and Radar Establishment, which is now part of the private defence-technology firm QinetiQ. Somehow, I managed to find something useful to work on and after 12 weeks had done enough to be as included as co-author on a peer-reviewed publication.

Summerlove sensation

After the placement, I continued with my physics degree, but began to feel something about physics wasn’t quite right for me. Whilst I loved the classical side of the subject and the real-world applications, I struggled with the less visible aspects, such as quantum and nuclear. So after a final-year project investigating the aerodynamics of cars – and finding myself more interested in my housemate’s mechanical engineering course – I wondered if I might be better suited to a career in engineering.

On the back of this growing interest, I applied to do a PhD in high-speed aerodynamics at the University of Southampton. My final-year project – coupled with my grounding in physics and the fact that I had a journal publication to my name – must have impressed my future supervisor, who picked me for the project. I had a great time on my PhD, which proved I loved engineering – particularly aerospace.

After four years in research, I realized an academic career wasn’t for me. But my PhD proved handy as it led to me getting a job with a small business called Stewart Hughes Ltd, which built vibration-monitoring equipment for use on mechanical machines. The company was looking for people with an academic background whose presence could help secure US government research funding. It turned out to be a sound strategy, as the firm built up a significant track record in winning high-value government grants.

My advice to you

These days I work a lot with interns and science or engineering students, who often ask me about my career path. As you can see, it wasn’t straightforward – and I believe a lot of people struggle making choices early in their careers. It’s easy to think you need to have everything mapped out in advance, which is rarely how things pan out. With that in mind, here are a few tips if you are starting out on your own career journey.

Top 10 tips

1 Even if you’re not sure what’s right for you – just try things out. Visiting industrial sites or attending topical lectures is great, even if it doesn’t lead to any work experience.

2 Be honest about what you like and don’t like – and don’t be afraid to change direction if things don’t feel right.

3 Be prepared to stretch yourself to find out more. Go outside your comfort zone.

4 Remember your degree subject may not be the most important thing unless you’re aiming for a career needing specific vocational training to get in. It’s far more important to study a subject you enjoy.

5 Get yourself a mentor who can be a constant in your career. They don’t have to be more senior to you; they could be a peer or someone more junior (i.e. a “reverse mentor”).

6 It’s fine if you enjoy doing lots of different things – but it doesn’t mean you have to do them all at once.

7 Being happy in what you do is more important than ultimate career goals.

8 Career opportunities don’t arise exactly when you’d like them to so be prepared to jump in or try different options if they pop up. A lateral move can be just as effective.

9 Don’t be afraid to nominate yourself for awards and prizes. An award will look good on your CV and there are a surprising number of opportunities.

10 Network and use your friends’ and peers’ experience.

Doing the rounds

One interesting bit of advice was once given to me on a career session led by a senior human-resources executive who works for a global corporation. The exec told us how he’d been having a golf lesson and was about to hit the ball down the fairway when the coach stopped him and asked where he was aiming. After explaining he was hoping to land the ball on the green, the coach shot back: “Yes…but where exactly on the green?”

Set your goal, do your best to reach it, and don’t worry too much about potential pitfalls.

Obviously the exec said he wanted to get a hole in one, but he was also trying to avoid the bunker and the long grass. The coach went on to explain that golfers should aim at the target and not be distracted by obstacles. Stay focused and the ball will land at or near the target. The exec saw this as the perfect analogy for one’s career: set your goal, do your best to reach it, and don’t worry too much about potential pitfalls.

Now that’s easier said than done – in fact, my career journey has not been the epitome of this advice. There have been bumps and detours along the way, which haven’t necessarily been through lack of focus, but because it took me time to discover what I really wanted to do. To stretch the golf analogy to breaking point, my first green might have not been great, but I’ve certainly had fun making it round the course.

The post appeared first on Physics World.