Dear Reader,
I saw this comment on LinkedIn recently: “Once a scientist, always a scientist.”
At first glance, it feels like an empowering sentiment, reassuring PhDs that they haven’t wasted their years of training even if they jump ship to a different kind of job.
But here’s the nuance: sometimes, clinging to that identity can be a trap.
Because “once a scientist, always a scientist” suggests you highly prize that persona, perhaps above all others.
Know what I mean?
In my own (past) academic field, I saw the same dynamic, that is, attempts to claim folks as historians even if they weren’t doing any historical work anymore.
And, yes, that might be a positive thing—historical thinking is something to value, just like scientific thinking is.
But this can trip you up if you can’t find paying work as a historian. And by “trip you up,” I mean, well, “make you feel like shit about yourself.”
I mostly stopped identifying as a historian years ago. (It crops up occasionally; history is very cool, after all, and I love an origin story.)
That is not a rejection of the field or the people who do embrace that title for themselves.
It’s just that I think of myself in different ways now, ways that I (also) highly value and find to be a better fit for who I am and what I want.
I’m reminded of a conversation I had with a colleague a few years ago. He has a physics PhD and transitioned into a highly technical industry role.
But his career really took off when, some years later, he pivoted into a totally different (non-technical, non-scientific) role within the same industry.
He’s felt more successful and more fulfilled at work ever since.
So what to do with a phrase like “once a scientist, always a scientist”?
One way forward is to treat it not as a fixed identity but as a powerful toolkit for solving problems, including the problem of your career.
- Scientists hypothesize, test, analyze, and collaborate.
- Engineers describe, build, troubleshoot, and optimize.
- Historians investigate, interpret, contextualize, and tell stories.
- Insert your own discipline here!
You can apply these amazing skills, strengths, and habits of mind to exploring your career, to discover what truly lights you up now.
And afterward, once you’re clear on what you want, you can harness them to help you get where you want to go.
Because at the end of the day, the most important identity isn’t the one you trained for. It’s the one you choose, the one that makes you feel most alive today.
I’d love to hear your take. Does the phrase “once a scientist, always a scientist” resonate with you? Or have you found it to be more of a trap? Just hit reply and let me know.
Cheers,
Jen
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