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Law is very different from science.

Standard practice, endorsed by the Red Book of the American Association of University Professors, still tends to give disciplinary departments the loudest voice in the debate over whether a young scholar gets lifetime employment--or is fired.

There are many routes into science policy. Take the one that most appeals to you.

"Mathematicians working together just talk through ideas or stare into space hoping to have one. Sometimes they go for a walk. This is particularly pleasant if the walk happens to be through Paris streets or along cliffs overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. Fresh air is essential, especially if one of them smokes." --Ernest Schimmerling

"We felt very well established in what we were working on in our postdocs and really excited about new opportunities and looking for ways to make those new opportunities come into being." - Alexis Templeton

"I've found that companies have a hard time finding people to fill their regulatory affairs roles. That's good for people who want to work in the field."

"From its inception, the Career Development Center for Postdocs and Junior Faculty (CDC) has aimed to fill this deficit by educating young researchers in the large body of nonscience knowledge that young academic scientists need to advance their careers and the research infrastructure of the United States."

In 1995, the golden age of science had been over for about 25 years, but the implications of its end were just beginning to sink in, and they are sinking in still.

It may not be a hot new industry in which even mediocre scientists can write their own tickets, but the chemical industry is big, solid, diverse, and offers great opportunities for scientists who prepare themselves well in a marketable field and take the job search seriously.

Just about every experimental science trainee experiences some variation on this theme: Their work entails a variety of risks in combination, they have little experience in dealing with those risks, and--much of the time--safety considerations take second place to getting the work done.

Think of it as a global online magazine of scientific careers, with all the editorial and business features you would expect in a traditional magazine—and more.

* Introduction   Getting Hired Getting Funded Research Grant Sources Publishing Book Reviews and Other Resources...