TIP TROVE | Staying Happy in Your Job
To stay motivated in your current job, you need to focus on professional development and appreciate the accomplishments and progress you are making in developing an expanded and/or deeper knowledge base, working on different kinds of projects and grants, and becoming a better scientist. If you feel that you are learning and growing, this should help sustain you while you search out new opportunities.
To stay motivated in the job search, create a "back-door strategy" by using informational interviews to identify companies or organizations where you can add value, and then lobby for a chance to do the work gratis.
If you can bring in grant money, help an R&D department make better use of its existing research, or develop better products and services, many organizations will look for ways to fund that expertise.
--Arlene Hirsch (ashirsch@arlenehirsch.com), author of Love Your Work ...
