The fate of Ramón y Cajal researchers very much depends on their postcode, says National Association of Ramón y Cajal Researchers Secretary Alex Mira Obrador.
"While it is important to go into a subject that you like and are good at, you might have to do something else that gets your foot in the door indirectly," says Sean Shaheen, Senior Scientist, National Renewable Energy Laboratories
Babar's research experience helped him realize that he wanted a career doing cell and molecular biology research and motivated him to apply to some of the nation's top graduate schools.
I walked past the door of a colleague who--how could I have known?--was gathering nominees for college-wide committees; if I had known what she was up to, I would have chosen a different way.