ment services and, most importantly, you will
learn the necessary business skills. Of course,
you will also continue to earn an income and
advance in your current position.
Even if you want to remain in the research
world, taking occasional management cours-
es, or enrolling in seminars offered by organ-
izations such as the American Management
Association^1 may be smart. Successful
researchers in academia, industry or other
settings must manage a lab with significant
grants and staff. You could also be asked to
serve as a Chair, on the Board of a biotech
start-up, or as an officer of your scientific
society. In these circumstances, good business
and management skills will serve you and
your institution well.The Direct Route
Pharmaceutical companies and health- and
medicine-related businesses and foundations
seek individuals who have academic creden-
tials in the life sciences. These venues can
offer the opportunity to go directly from your
doctoral program or the bench to a position
in a corporation or foundation.
If you wish to move up the management
ranks in the corporate world without thebenefit of an MBA, you are likely to start out
in research. From there, you can explore pro-
fessional development through in-house
training or the Human Resources
Department. As project manager positions
become available, your research skills, com-
bined with on-site management training,
should lead to promotions.
Foundations that are committed to medical
research often seek program officers who
understand basic science. Program officers
must track and interpret research activities so
as to identify and fund the most promising
opportunities. Foundations expect you to be
an expert and to have numerous connections
throughout your field. This ensures that you
stay current with developments and help
craft new grant initiatives. Foundations are
less likely to provide in-house training, but
may support your effort to pursue a part-
time MBA program or seminars to shore up
your scientific knowledge with business and
management acumen.
The culture of business and management
may seem foreign to many basic scientists,
but the skills, intelligence and intensity
required have much in common with the cul-
ture of science. ■CHAPTER 6 • CAREER TRANSITION 191THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR CELL BIOLOGY