Planning a Scientific Career in Industry

A handy guide for students seeking a scientific career in industry

When choosing a career in industry, many of today's graduates with degrees in science and technology don't know exactly what they are looking for, the options they have available, how to position themselves to achieve their goals, or even how to define their own meanings of success. By addressing each of these issues, Planning a Scientific Career in Industry covers material not found in school textbooks or career guides to show what makes an industry tick, then demonstrates how this knowledge can be used to gain fresh perspective and open new career doors. This book:

• Provides unique insight for new graduates on the technology sector
• Offers tools of the trade that can be used by the graduate to make decisions on the job
• Defines how to understand the DNA of an organization, the nature and viability of career choices, and the value of specific skills

With the backing of authors who have distinguished themselves in industry, this book presents a variety of techniques and applications, along with sound guidelines, that help chart a career course filled with rewarding opportunities—both personally and professionally.

Preface vii

1 Thinking About Careers 1

2 Meet the Industry 11

3 The Protagonist of Your Career 55

4 Starting Out 85

5 Establishing Yourself 117

6 Leadership and Growth 177

Index 229

"There is a lot of other good advice which should be useful to new starters in industry." (Chemistry World, August 2010)

SANAT MOHANTY, with a PhD in chemical engineering, has worked in R&D and in technology management at 3M. He has been involved in scoping new technologies and developing them for a variety of markets. He also spent signi- ficant time interacting with graduating scientists and engineers and orientation of new graduates in the industry.

RANJANA GHOSH, with a master's degree in chemical engineering, has spent more than twelve years in industry in India and the USA, working on operations research applied to a wide set of areas, including transportation, chemical industry, aviation, and defense. Most recently, she was engaged in developing technologies for the aerospace sector as a scientist at Honeywell.

A HANDY GUIDE FOR STUDENTS SEEKING A SCIENTIFIC CAREER IN INDUSTRY

When choosing a career in industry, many of today's graduates with degrees in science and technology don't know exactly what they are looking for, the options they have available, how to position themselves to achieve their goals, or even how to define their own meanings of success. By addressing each of these issues, Planning a Scientific Career in Industry covers material not found in school textbooks or career guides to show what makes an industry tick, then demonstrates how this knowledge can be used to gain fresh perspective and open new career doors. This book:

• Provides unique insight??for new graduates on the technology sector
• Offers tools of the trade that can be used by the graduate to make decisions on the job
• Defines how to understand the DNA of an organization, the nature and viability of career choices, and the value of specific skills

With the backing of authors who have distinguished themselves in industry, this book presents a variety of techniques and applications, along with sound guidelines, that help chart a career course filled with rewarding opportunities—both personally and professionally.