Why would an employer pay me the 'big bucks'?
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| Title: | Why would an employer pay me the 'big bucks'? | |
| Author: | Debadeep Bhattacharyya | |
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When I faced the prospect of transitioning from academia to industry, I was worried about many of the stories I heard on the grapevine. First, I was concerned about trying to find a foothold in a sector where I did not have any experience. Why would an employer pay me the ‘big bucks’ when I didn’t have experience and would not be able to meet expectations? Second, coming out of a graduate school and post-doctorate research experience, my aspirations and expectations were all research-centered. Having learned the researcher’s perspective, I imagined my new job would be all “routine.” I would not be allowed to present a poster or a talk at any of my usual conferences. How could I convince the interviewer that I could keep myself motivated and committed in such a position? Third, I thought I might end up taking orders from a sales person or someone who had never met the rigors of graduate school. How would I thrive when reporting to someone who didn’t have an advanced understanding of scientific issues?
I was grateful that my worries were misplaced. The first three months on the job were very different from what I had heard from my good friends and colleagues. Fortunately, I accepted the position of Applications Chemist at Oxford Instruments. Oxford Instruments had just launched one of its golden products, HyperSense. HyperSense exploits the technology of Dynamic Nuclear Polarization (DNP) and delivers an unforeseen sensitivity to nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) signals. The enhancement of the signal-to-noise ratio allows users to obtain remarkable single scan spectra for low gamma nuclei, such as 13C, and 15N. My responsibility was to find new applications, and I was always encouraged to test unchartered territories when it came to working with DNP technology and NMR. Having received quite an extensive training in the field of high resolution solution NMR Spectroscopy in chemistry and biochemistry, the first few months were the best thing that had happened to me since I met my wife! This is exactly what I wanted to do! It would be quite wrong, however, to say that I was getting everything served on a silver platter. One of the main difficulties for me was traveling. I was on the road almost two weeks every month. Initially, I considered work travel to be fun. I was getting to see the world, meet people, and see exotic places I had only heard about. However, beneath all those brightly wrapped gifts, there was quite a harsh reality. My health started taking a turn for the worse and my research work was badly affected. Being a lab-rat moving to a field where I was seldom in the lab, but constantly meeting existing and potential customers, I was out of my comfort zone. Indeed, my early mistake was in exhibiting my knowledge more than the capability of the product for the first months. By the end of the third month, I came to realize that my presentation was not effective. I got my act together and refocused. The results during the following week helped me get my confidence. Then I went out again with the sales team again. Life was entirely different from that point on. Although I still don’t enjoy this level of travel, I do like my meetings with customers. I have started appreciating that when customers point out a flaw in my product, they are only helping me to address that issue with good results when I come back to meet them next. In other words, I love negative criticism, as it helps me move closer to my dream of achieving a perfect score for my product. En route to reaching that perfection, I get some results out of my research that I can publish. At the end, I must emphasize the rather clichéd adage that life does throw a curve ball at you every now and then. Regardless of how knowledgeable or good you are in baseball, how you tackle the curve balls during your transition phase from academia to industry could determine whether you get to have a happy and successful tenure in industry. Some might say that life in industry is more secure than academia, while some might say it is the other way around. Having gone through the hoops in both fields, I would say that your life is as secure as you make it. Industry career research might help you understand some of the individual viewpoints and experiences of those who have transitioned before you. However, you should be prepared to face your own unique and unexpected experiences. It might not happen within the first three months of your time in industry. It might come to a year and half later. However, do not lose heart and patience, and tell yourself every morning that you are the best at what you do and you will continue to be the best. |
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Having completed a PhD in Chemistry from Emory University (Atlanta, GA) in 2004, Debadeep Bhattacharyya had a post-doctoral research associate position at the Department of Biochemistry at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (Chapel Hill, NC) until 2007. In August of 2007, he started with Oxford Instruments (Concord, MA) as an Applications Scientist for their Magnetic Resonance division.
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Copyright, 2009, Debadeep Bhattacharyya Published with permission |
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