As postdocs applying for faculty positions, we observe that brief opinion pieces in high-impact journals can be a significant factor in landing a job — even though they cannot compare with painstaking research contributions to more-specialized journals. These short comments signal a crucial ability to step back from one's own narrow field and use scientific knowledge to provide thoughtful perspectives on issues of broad relevance.

Although meticulous work is necessary to push the boundaries of the known a little farther, paying attention to the big picture is especially important for young scientists. Having spent years becoming increasingly specialized, once in a while we need to rise above such technical issues as solving stochastic differential equations or measuring coleopteran wings.

Making it into a high-impact journal, even in an unrefereed section, is an indicator that a specialist can still generate some sensible consideration of value to the global community.