Scientific Editing: Wendy Grus

Wendy Grus, Ph.D.

How did you choose your career? Was this an easy or hard process for you? If you struggled, how did you overcome these struggles?

I had a difficult time choosing my career. I knew that I loved science, but I didn't know what to do with that. After some undergraduate research experiences, I decided that I would like a career in academia, and I applied to grad school. During grad school, I realized that a career in academia was not a good fit for me, so I began to look into other jobs, such as genome database curator or scientific liaison. Eventually, I was encouraged to continue on the academic track and start a postdoc. My time as a postdoc made it even clearer that this track was not right for me. While a postdoc, I met with the career counselor. She and I brainstormed about alternative careers, and she introduced me to people she knew who worked in some of these capacities. Along the way in grad school and during my postdoc, I had become involved with helping international scientists communicate their research. I really enjoyed this part of my job because it kept my scientific interest and allowed me to do a service for other people. In my current position, I help with the communications for a lab (papers, grants, fellowships, website, etc).

My main struggle was deciding that the academic track was not right for me. Within this struggle, I had to weigh the expectations of people who I respected that had trained me in grad school, against what I really wanted. People saw me get a Ph.D., which they thought should equate to a future in academia, but that is not the career I wanted. In the end, I am very happy with my decision to leave academia (even though I still work at a university).

What kind of training, both formal and informal, did you receive to prepare you for your career? If applicable, how did you select where to attend graduate school? How did you choose your postdoc? How about any additional training? How did you choose what additonal training to pursue and how did you choose where to do it?

I spent 4 years in undergrad, 5.5 years in grad school, and 1.5 years as a postdoc. Although I eventually decided to leave academia, these years definitely prepared me for my current career. In grad school, I had the opportunity to be in a very international lab (mostly Chinese and Korean). One of my roles in the lab was to help the international scholars with manuscripts and presentations. I loved this role. Following grad school, I supplemented my postdoc salary with a job as a contract editor for an internet company that edits manuscripts for international scientists. While at my postdoc, I decided that a career in scientific editing or communication would be good for me. I took advantage of a scholarship program to enroll in a technical editing course at a local university. Also, I took advantage of many career development seminars. These were crucial in helping me get a job. In academia, it is so easy to rely on your CV to show all of your accomplishments. I had to learn the hard way about interviews for real-world jobs.

I really wish I had thought more about choosing a grad school. In the end, I enjoyed grad school, learned a lot, and have a good job. I chose my grad school by asking grad students and professors where would be the best places to go. After visiting the programs for interviews, I wish I had asked different questions to the people giving me advice. To find a postdoc, I tried to determine what type of research I could see myself doing as a career. Then I focused on labs that did that type of research. Luckily, my advisor in grad school encouraged us to write papers and give many presentations so that I had a good CV when trying to find a postdoc.

How competitve and/or rigorous was the training for your career?

Grad school is competitive by nature. My eventual career was pretty out of the ordinary, so I don't know how competitive it was.

In general, how much did the training cost? Was the investment worth it?

For me, the training only cost me time. Thanks to the HOPE Scholarship in Georgia, my undergraduate was free. During grad school, I was supported by teaching, training grants, and my advisor's grants. The only other thing it really cost me was a boyfriend. But, that was probably for the best.

How long did it take you to train? Was it shorter or longer than anticipated? If you had any setbacks, how did you deal with them?

I think my time spent in grad school and as a postdoc were normal.

What was the process like to apply for your first job after your training was over? Was it easy or difficult? How did you cope with any difficulties? Did that differ from subsequent jobs you've had?

Like I mentioned earlier, I was totally unprepared to apply to jobs in the real world after growing up in academia where you are basically judged on your CV. After one particularly dreadful phone interview, I made my friend call me and give me a phone interview with prepared questions and answers. That was a big help! Before my first onsite interview, I had a mock interview with the HR recruiter where I was a postdoc. From career development seminars, I learned to be shameless about getting your foot in the door at a company.

What advice would you give to someone interested in following a similar career path?

My career path has been long and circuitous. However, I would tell people in grad school that they don't need to be ashamed if they decide that academia is not the right path for them. Additionally, if you are struggling with deciding what your career path should be, seek advice from any and all willing parties. When I was trying to figure out what do after my postdoc, one of my ideas was going to medical school. I started researching this potential path — finding out about "older" med students. I spoke with doctors and people in the medical field I was interested in. Eventually, I didn't choose that path, but all the information I gathered was helpful.

What would you have done differently in preparing for your career?

I am not sure. Although my Ph.D. sometimes feels like a burden, I could never have gotten the career I have now if I had not had all of my experiences.

How much do you like what you do? Why? Is it what you imagined it would be? If not, how have you adapted?

I do like what I do very much. It is not exactly as I imagined it, but I really like helping the guys in the lab and learning about their research.

How do you achieve career-life balance? Is this easy or hard to do? How many hours do you typically work per week?

It is very easy to achieve a work-life balance in my current position. I work 35–40 hours a week. As my job changes, I am sure that will fluctuate a little.

What strategies have you figured out over time to help you succeed?

My main strategy is to do things that make you happy and not things that fulfill other people's expectations (except in the circumstances where those overlap).

How do you see your field changing in the next 5–10 years?

Scientific writing/editing is a good career for the future. There seem to be never-ending developments for ways to communicate science. If anything, science will become even more international, requiring more people like me to ensure that it is effectively communicated.