Motivations for Starting a Business
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Work Options for Life Scientists Include Entrepreneurship
Starting a business is a potentially exciting and rewarding career choice alternative for life scientists instead of working in an academic setting or for others in an industry job. Few tenure-track university positions are available, and only a minority of scientists hired achieve tenure (Wosen, 2022; Boone, 2022). Drawbacks of some industry jobs include pressure to achieve high quotas, repetitious work, and not being able to follow your own vision. Keep in mind that you have a third option of starting a business.
Many scientists find startups to be a rewarding career path although it typically involves a lot of hard work, especially at the outset. They describe an exciting work environment—from working closely with a team that feels passionate about the work and from making a difference in people’s lives through their discoveries. Other advantages include the potential for. . .
- More autonomy in decision-making
- Your ideas having more impact
- Higher income eventually
Steps to a Startup will help you explore the possibilities!
References
Wosen J. ‘The tipping point is coming’: Unprecedented exodus of young life scientists is shaking up academia. STAT. November 10, 2022.
Boone A, Vander Elst T, Vandenbroeck S, Godderis L. Burnout Profiles Among Young Researchers: A Latent Profile Analysis. Frontiers in Psychology. 13; 2022.
Tips
When thinking about your career goals, consider what impacts you would like your work to have.
Take advantage of the many opportunities available to women-owned businesses, such as government contract money set aside for businesses owned by women, tax incentives, loan guarantees, and training and mentoring opportunities.
Challenge: