Six days, three countries and far too many miles. Not an ambitious holiday schedule but a snapshot of my travels last November, as I rounded off a busy year of meeting young scientists around the world. In just over a week I met Max Planck PhD students at their annual meeting in Göttingen, Germany; joined young scientists interested in industry at the European Biotech Crossroads meeting in Lille, France; and sat in on an informal roundtable for students and postdocs at the University of Leeds, UK. Three countries, three completely different groups — and yet all echoed concerns I'd been hearing all year.

The students were aware that the odds of securing a tenure-track position in academia are low, but they didn't know the average success rate. I always say that on average only one in three is likely to land a long-term position. And all the students were vaguely aware that there are options 'outside' academia, but few knew exactly what they were, or how to take advantage of them.

My message to all these groups is the same: research your options with the diligence you spend on your science. Take an inventory of the skills you use in science — whether it is interacting with intellectual-property people, writing papers or managing interdisciplinary collaborations. See what you enjoy and are good at. Then consider where else you could apply these skills. Cast a wide net. Be prepared to leave your home country. Don't discount government and industry jobs. And find creative ways to gain new skills — whether it be informal mentoring, short courses or yet more education.

As well as talking to young scientists about navigating their career, I have been trying to draw up some guidance to help them. One result is a collection of 'off the bench' career stories now gathered in one location under Editor's Choice on the Naturejobs homepage (http://www.nature.com/naturejobs). I hope that this collection will help scientists at all stages of their career realize their options and make informed choices about their next move.