Testing your fit for a research career
Contents
Testing your fit for a research career
Research careers can be very fulfilling, allowing you to explore your intellectual interests in depth and contribute to solving key global problems. However they are also competitive, particularly in academia, and there’s significant variation in the amount of impact different researchers have. Additionally, there’s a lot of variation in the day-to-day experience of different research roles.
All this means that considering your personal fit for this kind of work is important. In this post we cover ideas about how you can reflect on and explore your fit for a research career.
Our next post covers some of the broad differences between working in academia, industry and think tanks, and suggests some more specific ideas for how you can explore your fit for these different paths.
Some high level questions you could keep in mind while exploring are:
- What underlying goals are motivating you to pursue a career in research? Is a research career the best or only way to meet these goals?
- What beliefs and uncertainties are creating your current level of confidence about whether you should pursue a research career?
- How can you test these beliefs?
- Do you have uncertainties that can be (partially) answered by taking some concrete steps?
Learn about and try out different research roles
Learn about the different research roles that exist. Depending on your subject of study, working in academia, industry and think tanks are some of the options you may want to consider.
Some broad generalisations can be made about working in academia vs industry. For example, later career academics generally have relative stability and autonomy, with the ability to pursue research topics which would be unlikely to get commercial funding.
Non-academic research, for example in industry, government and nonprofits, often provides more structure and easier paths to tangible impact, although on the other hand these roles tend to offer fewer opportunities for curiosity-driven, highly explorative research. We go into more detail about different research paths here.
Learn about others' experiences
Once you know broadly what your options are, look at the qualifications and career trajectories of students and more experienced researchers who you might want to emulate. We strongly recommend you reach out to people and ask if they’re willing to talk to you about their experiences (our coaches may also be able to connect you with people with relevant experience if you apply for coaching).
If you plan a call with someone, we recommend coming up with some questions in advance to ask them. This podcast recommends asking broad questions (e.g. what’s the story of your research career?) to elicit useful information that you might not hear by asking more specific questions. You could also ask questions like ‘what do you wish you’d known earlier in your career trajectory?’ and ‘how do you think I could learn more about my fit for the kind of research you do?’
It’s probably also valuable to ask researchers about their day-to-day experiences of doing research: what thinking styles they use; what methodologies and skills they are working to master; and what their experience of using these is like. You could also try reading completed PhD theses, think tank reports etc. and considering what methodologies and skills these suggest you would be cultivating by following different paths.
Reflecting on your success at research so far
You can also learn about your chances of success in a research career by reflecting on your experience of writing your thesis and studying so far. Consider questions such as:
- How good was your performance during your degree? What was your rate of improvement like, as well as your absolute performance?
- What does your supervisor/mentor/others who have seen your research think about your fit for research?
- What do they think your strengths and areas for improvement are?
- How do they think your research would need to be different if you were studying a PhD (if relevant)?
- Can you send your thesis or other research output to any academics you know to request their feedback?
- Can you get further information by submitting your thesis to awards or trying to get it published?
You should also consider the grades you received for your undergraduate and/or masters degree. As well as providing evidence of your ability, if you apply for a PhD they are one of the criteria which will determine whether you are accepted onto a programme or receive funding. The emphasis on grades varies between countries – if you’re in a country where grades are not emphasised and you might be interested in studying for a PhD abroad, you should likely pursue getting as high grades as possible.
One study has found that 25% of institutions produce 71-86% of all tenure-track faculty depending on the field, so if you stand a good chance of getting into a top university this is also a good indication of your fit for a research career.
Consider which aspects of research you most enjoy and excel at
As you’re learning about different research paths, reflect on what you already know you enjoy and excel at, and try to identify roles that will capitalise on your strengths. Whatever path you’re pursuing, characteristics such as high intelligence, conscientiousness and deep interest in your research area are going to increase your chances of success, but some research roles will still be a better fit for you than others.
For example, you may already know you prefer synthesising existing research to doing basic research, in which case think tank roles may be a good fit. If you want to do self-directed research, however, pursuing a career in academia will likely give you more autonomy long-term. If you struggle with a low feedback environment and thrive with more structure and teamwork, you might find industry roles are typically a better fit than academic roles.
If some of your experiences of research have left you feeling ambivalent, have you tried researching a different area to test whether it is research itself that is not a good fit? If you struggled during your degree, can you identify factors that caused this that might not be the same during a research career, and test how you feel in a different environment?
Identify any significant bottlenecks to doing impactful research
Particularly if you’re interested in academia, it may be helpful to consider the model William Shockely used to explain why some academic researchers are far more successful than others.
This post summarises his findings as follows:
“Shockely suggests that producing a paper is tantamount to clearing every one of a sequence of hurdles. He specifically lists:
- ability to think of a good problem
- ability to work on it
- ability to recognize a worthwhile result
- ability to make a decision as to when to stop
and write up the results - ability to write adequately
- ability to profit constructively from criticism
- determination to submit the paper to a journal
- persistence in making changes (if necessary as a result of
journal action).”
Shockely’s theory means that any improvements you make to your ability at each step of the research process make the work you do at every other stage more valuable, and becoming slightly more productive at multiple steps will make you a lot more productive overall. For example, if you are 50% above average in each of the 8 areas above then you will be 2460% more productive than average overall.
According to this model, gauging your current fit for a research career should involve considering your ability in every step that is necessary to produce impactful research. You may find it useful to discuss what your current bottlenecks might be with someone familiar with your research – if you discover you can improve in one area, it could have a surprisingly large impact on how successful you are.
Particularly in STEM disciplines, your skill at working collaboratively is also important – in The Science of Science the authors write, ‘In 1963, the sociologist Harriet Zuckerman set out to discover how outstanding scientists worked, interviewing 41 out of the 55 Nobel laureates living in the US at that time. She found that an internal bent toward teamwork seemed to be a trait that they all shared.’
Try doing further research independently
You could also get additional information about your fit for research – particularly about your ability to be self-motivated – through producing self-directed research. If you haven’t yet completed your undergraduate or masters thesis, though, we suggest you first focus on writing a great final thesis. This will both give you information about your abilities and affect the opportunities you can later apply for.
Questions to explore
Here’s a list of the questions you could consider as you explore your fit for a career in research.
Your goals and beliefs
- What underlying goals are motivating you to pursue a career in research?
- Is a research career the best or only way to meet these goals?
- What beliefs inform your current level of confidence about whether you should pursue a research career? How can you test these beliefs?
Your interest in research
- Is there a topic you are passionate about studying?
- If you are ambivalent about research, have you tried changing your research focus (to test whether it is research itself that is not a good fit)?
- Did you enjoy doing research during your degree?
- Were there questions that occurred to you during the research process that you would have liked more time to explore?
- Are there any non-research careers you are also interested in?
Your research skills
- How good was your performance during your degree? What was your rate of improvement like, as well as your absolute performance?
- What does your supervisor/mentor/others who have seen your research think about your fit for research?
- What do they think your strengths and areas for improvement are?
- How do they think your research would need to be different if you were studying a PhD (if relevant)?
- Can you send your thesis or other research output to any academics you know to request their feedback?
- Can you get further information by submitting your research to awards or trying to get it published?
- Which of the steps that Shockley came up with creates the most significant bottleneck on your productivity? Have you experimented with improving in this area?
Considering your fit for specific roles
- What steps have people whose careers you want to emulate taken to get where they are now? Are some of these paths particularly appealing?
- Have you tried out small opportunities to test your fit for these roles (e.g. finding a research internship, research assistant role, or publishing papers)? If yes, what was the result?
- Have you already used similar methodologies to those you would use later in a research career?
- If so, would you enjoy developing these skills further?
How we can help
If you want more personalised advice, consider applying for our free coaching. One of our coaches can help you think through your plans and may be able to connect you with experienced researchers who can offer you advice.
If you decide to apply for a PhD, we can help you find a PhD supervisor and reach out to them, as well as find PhD funding.
Sign up for our newsletter if you want to hear about early-career research opportunities.
Read next: Research paths after undergrad and masters →
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