Until then, I hadn’t had any reason
to doubt it. I was passionate about
science, research, and teaching. I
already had a respectable handful
of publications, awards, and grants.
I certainly knew I couldn’t immedi-
ately jump to a faculty position—I’d
need to do a postdoc or two first—
but I was confident I was on the
right path to securing one.
But reading through the stack
of more than 200 faculty job ap-
plications shook my confidence.
Each told a story of a strong devo-
tion to science. Nearly all of them
had daunting lists of publications,
citations, accomplishments, and
awards. Many of the applicants
had magnificent letters of recom-
mendation. And some held ten-
ured faculty positions. A few did
not stand a chance because of too
little experience, sparse accolades, or unflattering letters of
recommendation. But the majority were exceptionally well
qualified—and they were all seeking one position.
I spent a week sorting the applications into piles marked
“definitely yes,” “unsure,” and “definitely no,” ultimately
landing on a short list of 10 applicants. Then I entered a
conference room to meet with the four professors serving
on the committee with me.
As each of us made a case for who should be invited
for an interview and why, I was startled to learn that aca-
demic achievements were not always what mattered most.
Many candidates whom I found exceptional were elimi-
nated quickly because some committee members felt their
specialty wasn’t needed in the department. I was also dis-
heartened to find that a few committee members who had
well-funded labs and domineering personalities exerted
a disproportionate influence on decisions. One professor
strongly advocated for his own postdoc, even though his CV
was not at all competitive. After considerable debate—and
without consensus—he was invited for an interview anyway.
As I returned to the lab, I envisioned a bleak future. Icould spend years making consid-
erable sacrifices—working long
hours, uprooting my wife for a se-
ries of postdocs, putting off starting
a family—only to fall short of secur-
ing a faculty position due to factors
outside my control.
Around that time, I also got my
first exposure to working in a cor-
porate setting. I started a part-time
internship at a telecommunications
company, which paid better than
a teaching assistantship, allowing
me to work fewer hours and spend
more time writing my dissertation.
I appreciated that the company
valued data analyses and critical
thinking, and I found it gratify-
ing to see the impact of my work.
With my interest piqued, I sat in
on courses in my university’s busi-
ness program and read as much as
I could about marketing, strategy, and business research. I
began to see a career in business as an appealing alterna-
tive to the personal sacrifices, hypercompetitiveness, and
arbitrary hiring decisions I would encounter in academia.
After I graduated, I made the leap.
It has now been well over 20 years, and I have no regrets.
At first, I worried that once I learned how to be successful
in business, the work would not satisfy my intellectual curi-
osity. However, my career, which has taken me to a variety
of companies and to my current role managing a consulting
business, has delivered plenty of intellectual challenges. I
have also benefited in my personal life. Because my consult-
ing work affords flexibility, I am able to live in the city of my
choice and be actively involved in my kids’ activities.
My experience on the faculty job search committee may
not have been what I expected. But I’m thankful it sent me
on a path to reevaluating my future and moving toward a
different—and extremely rewarding—career.Paul Abel is a managing partner at Blue Research. He lives in San Diego,
California. Send your career story to [email protected].“I was startled to learn that
academic achievements were not
always what mattered most.”
A pivotal moment
I
was busy conducting experiments, writing papers, and trying to finish my dissertation. But when I
was asked to serve on a faculty job search committee, I felt I couldn’t say no. I thought it would be a
great opportunity to learn how I might eventually secure a faculty position of my own. However, as
I read through reams of impressive applications, reality struck: It would take a lot of time and many
sacrifices to build a CV that would be competitive in a faculty job search—and I could still end up
empty-handed. For the first time, I began to question the academic career path I was on.By Paul AbelILLUSTRATION: ROBERT NEUBECKER358 16 JULY 2021 • VOL 373 ISSUE 6552 sciencemag.org SCIENCEWORKING LIFE
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