Polar Careers Outside Academia

Dr. Carlo guides clients to develop a vision for their climate change and Arctic priorities and build momentum to achieve their goals. She has worked across political divides for state senators, ambassadors, and governors on issues of Arctic governance. Her true passions are working with organizations that support climate change equity, and the well-being of Arctic residents and Indigenous peoples. Dr. Carlo’s recent work focuses on driving transformative change in the finance sector to support Indigenous-led climate solutions in the Arctic and beyond. In April 2022, President Biden appointed Dr. Carlo to serve as an academic member on the U.S. Arctic Research Commission, an independent federal agency that advises the president and Congress on domestic and international Arctic research. Dr. Carlo received a Ph.D. in neuroscience from University of California San Diego and a B.S. in psychology from University of Alaska Fairbanks. 

Briefly describe your day-to-day work life  

I am the founder and CEO of CNC North Consulting. My clients range from federal government entities that support Arctic research to nonprofit organizations working on solutions to the climate crisis. I also write opinion pieces for leading news outlets and in partnership with academic organizations. 

As an independent consultant, I have a lot of flexibility in structuring my day. My favorite parts of my day are when I have project-specific meetings—whether in-person or virtually—and get to work with clients to design visions and goals, work through issues, and discuss strategies to bring our vision to reality. Additionally, I spend time preparing presentations for events, managing projects, and following up on requests or inquiries about future work. Each week, I always reserve time for deeper thinking, research, and writing.  

What were the best parts or the most challenging parts of transitioning into your current position from your academic experiences (undergraduate, graduate school, postdoc, professional in academia, etc)?   

I left academia about 12 years ago after earning a Ph.D. in neuroscience and a brief postdoc. My academic work focused on what makes us human and in particular how the brain region responsible for our flight-or-fight response has changed across species. I took a leave of absence from my postdoc during the 2010 legislative session for a fellowship that places Alaska Native fellows in offices of rural Alaska legislators. This was a significant change for me, and drove my pivot to the Arctic. My focus is now on policy that directly impacts the communities that call the Arctic home. My passion to support the health and wellbeing of Indigenous Peoples drives everything that I’ve focused on during my career.   

 After I left my postdoc, I was a AAAS Science & Technology Policy fellow at the National Science Foundation. Toward the end of my fellowship, my network began asking whether I offered consulting services. I’ll be honest: I was not previously aware of how consulting worked or that this path was an option. I started doing business as a sole proprietor, which seemed the most straightforward for my situation and given my state’s requirements. In those early days I mainly worked with former colleagues on a part-time basis. I have “paused” my consulting company at various times to take full time positions with the Alaska State Legislature, U.S. Department of State, and Executive Office of the Alaska Governor. In 2019, I made a conscious decision to operate CNC North Consulting LLC as my primary focus, worked through a vision for the services we offer, and launched a new website. Business grew from there but so far the company has remained small, though I am considering scaling up for greater impact and with an eye toward training the next generation.  

 A key thing I learned early on was that pivoting is hard, scary even. Doing something new can be both exciting and carry some uncertainty—consultants have inconsistent income flows and have to juggle the administrative side of running a business, 401Ks, healthcare, and so on. But it is worth it to me because I get to explore different interests and ways of working. The most challenging part for me during the transition to a working world outside academia was to become comfortable with forecasts and flexibility.  

What are some transferable skills from your academic preparation or time in academia?  

I regularly use the lens of science—curiosity, interest in learning something new, and understanding something deeply— in my day-to-day work. However, I do not use the technical neuroscience that I spent years in graduate school studying—and that’s OK.  Now, as more of a generalist I focus on systems and how different components are linked or connected.   

I also spent time in grad school as a mentor to younger students (high school and college-level), serving on campus wide committees, and supporting outreach programs about neuroscience at local schools on the U.S.-Mexico border. These experiences helped shape my interests outside of academia and taught me the importance of communicating science to a broader audience. I also learned lots of other skills that are transferable: how to project manage, how to lead (or not) a group toward a goal, how to work with (or not) colleagues, how to synthesize complex information, and how to communicate that information to academic and non-academic audiences. These are all things that will also be useful in other careers and places.  

Graduate school also taught me a lot of things that I had to unlearn later. When I left academia, I had to remember that it was okay to be wrong, to not know something, or to ask for help. I had to remember that journal articles aren’t the only way to measure success. And I had to remember that working together is sometimes better than being an exceptional individual, and that “discovery” is secondary (or even lower on the list) to building trust, working together, and forming respectful relationships. These are things that my Indigenous community taught me and I’d like to center this type of learning and values in academia and other spaces.  

What is the most surprising part of your current position?   

When I transitioned away from academia, I was most surprised to learn I thrive in environments that are fast paced and require connection and relationships with other people. I enjoy working on policy that positively impacts people and the planet in the near future. 

As a neuroscientist, I was studying comparative neuroanatomy—which is important science but was difficult for me to connect to the issues facing my community and the Arctic. My first step outside academia was to a fast-paced legislative environment back in Alaska. It was a completely different tempo than I was used to working in, yet I could feel the impact my work was making. It was there that I found my footing and felt more grounded.  

What advice would you give to someone interested in a non-academic or alternative academic career?  

Reflect back on where you have spent time or gained energy during the last three to four years. There might be patterns there that can give you a clue to what you might want to focus on. Look for resources or opportunities locally to become involved in things that are beyond your academic area. Seek out people who have a career that you want to know more about or might be interested in.  

How is the workplace culture and work/life balance at your current position?  

I have some control over my work/life balance since I manage the company workload and schedule. I prioritize taking care of self and family, including unplugging from work when on personal leave. There are, of course, times when weeks are overly scheduled and I work long hours to meet a deadline, but I’m able to keep that from being the norm.  

I try to find a stable balance of my time so that I can meet my commitments with a high quality of work and dedicated attention. I generally don’t have a large number of clients; instead I prioritize long-term relationships. This all comes into consideration when I’m evaluating potential clients. I also look for alignment with my company’s mission and goals to elevate community-driven solutions to climate change. I might initially use smaller scale project work with a client to learn more about the working relationships before building to a longer-term, ongoing role. Regardless, I aim to use clear expectations, time commitments, and contract agreements to ensure both parties are on the same page. I like to schedule regular meetings with the client at a pace that ensures the work can progress in a reasonable way to meet deadlines. As always, good communication is essential for success in my line of work.  

What opportunities are available for polar scientists with bachelors, masters, or PhD? For example, how important do you think a PhD is for landing a job outside academia? 

I’ve worked in policy at the state-wide level and the national level. In my experience there were very few Ph.D. trained staff working in the state legislature. The AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellowship ensures that there are scientists and engineers serving as congressional staff and in the executive branch. Federal program managers and principal investigators at federal agencies generally do have terminal graduate degrees. There are also other interesting careers that intersect in science policy spaces—science writing, science communications, and science education and outreach. I don’t think a PhD is necessary. However, many that work at the science and policy interface have some post-baccalaureate training (e.g., a masters degree).  

Dr. Kelly Singel maintains a list of science policy fellowships. The organization Engineers & Scientists Acting Locally (ESAL) also maintains a database of local engagement opportunities in the US. 

How did you find your current job? Do you have advice on searching for jobs and networking for job opportunities? 

I created my own job. Consulting is something I actually often recommend to others, even starting out with something small as a side gig/hustle. It is relatively easy to set up a sole proprietorship or an LLC. I encourage people to do this because doing so can help create boundaries around what falls within their full-time job vs. consulting work. I think it’s incredibly helpful to explore skills that you enjoy offering to others. For example, perhaps you enjoy facilitating discussions that build group dynamics and this is something you do within your lab group. What if others outside your department or university ask for those services? This is potentially something that could squarely fall outside your regular job description and instead be something that you provide as a consultant for a fee.   

Your networks and relationships are incredibly valuable for lots of reasons but also as a consultant. Professional recommendations and word of mouth can bring business your way. It is also important to communicate what consulting services you offer and if you have availability in your schedule or are booking several months out. I recommend sharing what services you offer with both prospective clients (your network) and also with other consultants. I talk with many prospective clients and if a project is not the right fit for me, I am more than happy to pass on recommendations for other consultants who might meet the needs required. I find myself always in need of good recommendations for facilitation services by those experienced in cross-cultural communications and in research, science communication beyond academia, and training in different ways of knowing. CNC North Consulting sometimes needs additional expertise so I usually draw from my consulting network to subcontract for those services, e.g. communications, research and analysis, etc.  

Never underestimate the power of a web presence. When I restarted my consulting company in 2019, initially I did not have a website. I figured people who knew me would reach out, which they did. However, it made a world of difference to have a virtual landing page where people could learn about me, my previous work, and what services I offer. It is better to make things quickly accessible for potential clients—a webpage with contact information can easily be shared or forwarded and there should be a low barrier to scheduling an initial consultation, in my experience.  

How creative can you be at work?  

Being creative is important to me. I think of creativity as being able to follow the questions that I find intriguing and to come up with new solutions to problems that people seem stuck on.  

I purposefully structure my work week to make space for flexible time dedicated to deeper thinking, reading, and design development. Consulting allows me to lead with my values and to work on different interesting projects. I’ve found it useful to know what I don’t enjoy doing and what does not give me energy. For example, I don’t offer services related to meeting hosting or coordination; these types of projects have lots of moving parts and details. Sometimes I overly focus on details, drain my energy, and then don’t have enough brain space left to shape overarching goals or strategies.  

Many of the projects I work on require me to be creative—with a focus on solving the big problems around climate change—and this is by design. I am exploring ways to use financing in innovative ways through a climate response financing initiative that supports Indigenous-led solutions to climate change. I am also thinking about how to build movements of people who are willing to flip the script and see things from a different point of view. I call this action an Arctic 180: where can we flip our perspective to drive major change for the better? For example, Stockholm, Berlin, Hong Kong, and Tokyo have all stopped designing streets for cars and focused on pedestrian and cyclist safety. They are now the top-rated cities in the world for traffic safety. How can we apply similar 180s to the Arctic and the climate? 

Is there anything else that you want to share?   

You can learn more about my work on my website and connect with me on LinkedIn. 

Briefly describe your day-to-day work life?  

I spend my time in three work spaces, the office, the lab, and travel/field. Time in the field has ranged from 1 day to 5 months, but on average has been 10-15% of my time and more like 15-20%. if you include regular business travel. Of the remaining time, it's probably 80/20 office/lab. So a typical day involves a lot of meetings, writing, data analysis, and administrative activities at the office, but this is broken up nicely with time at field sites, working on instrumentation, and attending workshops/conferences. 

What are some transferable skills from your academic preparation or time in academia?  

Adaptability, programming, instrumentation.  

What advice would you give to someone interested in a non-academic or alternative academic career?  

The academic career is heavily dependent on soft funding but, correspondingly, has substantial amount of intellectual freedom. Alternative career paths can have more secure funding, but generally also require service to a mission. 

What opportunities are available for polar scientists with bachelors, masters, or PhD? For example, how important do you think a PhD is for landing a job outside academia?  

It depends on what you want to do, of course. The more focused you want to be specifically on science, the more important (and useful) the PhD becomes. However, I work with a number of people in similar positions - generally with the balance of their focus weighted more towards logistics and engineering relative to science - who have masters degrees. 

How did you find your current job? Do you have advice on searching for jobs and networking for job opportunities?  

As is true with many people, networking is difficult for me and does not come naturally. Nevertheless, it is essential in developing your career. That said, for government positions like what I have, all jobs are publicly posted on USAJobs; everyone has an opportunity to apply. 

How creative can you be at work?  

Yes, this is encouraged.  

Briefly describe your day-to-day work life

My job has a ton of variety. For most of the year, I work at the National Science Foundation headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia, either in the office or from home. I review logistics for the U.S. research projects coming to Antarctica, coordinate field plans for all the Antarctic science disciplines, manage lab and field programs, work with other agencies like NASA and NOAA to support their mission activities, and develop relationships with people at national Antarctic programs in other countries. It's a huge team effort between the NSF Office of Polar Programs staff, the research community, and all the organizations that support the U.S. Antarctic Program. 

In some years, I spend time in Antarctica. It's not as much time now as before COVID. Now it's more like weeks instead of months. I miss it, but it's a little easier managing with two kids at home. When I am in Antarctica, I visit many of the sites where we support research, including the science facilities at the stations, like labs and observatories, and the field camps.

What were the best parts or the most challenging parts of transitioning into your current position from your academic experiences (undergraduate, graduate school, postdoc, professional in academia, etc)?

The transition out of academia was straightforward for me. I wasn't sure what path I wanted to take when I started graduate school as a masters student, but quickly got on a track leading to a PhD and an academic career. Even though I loved some of the research, the single focus wasn't a good fit. I had already decided to leave school when the opportunity came up to take a position on the logistics side of the U.S. Antarctic program. Since I had done fieldwork in Antarctica, I already knew many of the people and a bit about how the system worked. I was able to transition into a role that felt more dynamic and engaging.

What are some transferable skills from your academic preparation or time in academia? 

Having a science background is incredibly helpful. Even though my degree is in geology, and now I work with teams studying everything from benthic organisms to the origins of the universe, it is helpful to have an understanding of research and academia. And the first-hand experience in the field in Antarctica (although quite a while ago!) continues to help me plan the support the our field teams will need.

What is the most surprising part of your current position?  

One of the surprising parts of my current position is how fulfilling it is to see the details of every U.S. Antarctic Program field research project. I don't always understand all the technical details, but I like to say that I get the National Geographic-level view of a huge swath of world-class science. Before I moved into Antarctic logistics, I didn't appreciate how meaningful that would be.

What advice would you give to someone interested in a non-academic or alternative academic career? 
I would recommend networking with anyone you can find who is outside academia in areas that interest you. A challenge, especially for students, is that the professors and mentors that people have in school are usually also in academia and don't necessarily have a broader perspective on jobs in other areas. If you have opportunities to engage with people doing things adjacent to your academic work - like I did with the shift from field research to logistics support - try to develop relationships with those people and learn about their paths. 

It's also important to follow your passions. If you see something that looks exciting, go for it, even if you don't think that you are perfectly qualified.

What opportunities are available for polar scientists with bachelors, masters, or PhD? For example, how important do you think a PhD is for landing a job outside academia? 

I think that there are tons of opportunities for people without a PhD. Many of the technical and engineering positions, communications, outreach, education, and logistics require only a bachelors or masters degree. In my world, people usually do need a PhD for some of the policy and advisory positions and for senior leadership.

What are some transferable skills from your academic preparation or time in academia?  

Writing, writing, writing. Whether its an academic paper or writing for a class, the one universal language across careers is the ability to continue honing your writing skills. 

What advice would you give to someone interested in a non-academic or alternative academic career?  

You will not figure it out over night. Sometimes figuring out what you don't want to do, is just as important as figuring out what you do. Talk with people, don't be afraid to ask for what you want, and keep pushing until you find it.  

What opportunities are available for polar scientists with bachelors, masters, or PhD? For example, how important do you think a PhD is for landing a job outside academia?  

A lot of scientists in the polar field are working on climate change issues already. Climate change and energy policies have become central to a lot of work that goes well beyond research. Whether you are in state or federal work, climate change is now a central lens that many employers now work in. So your ability to move from a scientific role toward one that works in the climate change space has grown and there are more and more opportunities.  

How did you find your current job? Do you have advice on searching for jobs and networking for job opportunities? 

I did a fellowship through the American Association for Advancement of Science (AAAS), where graduate students can spend a year D.C. working in policy. It opened the door to several opportunities, which ultimately led me to my job on the Appropriations Committee. I had to do several fellowships before landing a full time position, but all were related to climate/energy policy.  

How creative can you be at work?  

Very. We work with the Executive Branch Agencies, like the Department of Energy, to develop and write a bill that explains how they will spend their money from year to year. This includes all the science and energy money that the agency is provided. Our committee not only provides them the money, but also provides direction and details on how/when/and in what way it will be spent.  

Briefly describe your day-to-day work life

It really depends on the time of year! I spend a large portion of my year in the planning stages for the Antarctic Field season. I work with grantees, logistics partners and other field staff to ensure that we are planning adequately to support teams while doing research in the Field. When in Antarctic, I work directly with teams right before they deploy to the field, ensuring we have a firm plan in place to support both the human experience and scientific work.

What is the most surprising part of your current position?  

I spend a considerable amount of time thinking about human factors. After 20 years working as a mountain guide and avalanche professional, I have been able to take valuable lessons from that life and apply it pretty easily to this work. For example, when I took my first avalanche course 25 years ago, we spent the majority of the time in the course looking at snow crystals and diving deep into the science of snow. While this is important, knowing that alone would not necessarily keep me any safer. There was a shift in the industry to focus more on human factors and decision making because that was often what got people into trouble. If we can teach and encourage people to put things like communication, group dynamics, roles and responsibilities and field/emergency planning into their tool kit when embarking into the backcountry of field, we are arming people with skills that allow for cognitive engagement with the natural world. We can't control what nature will provide but we can certainly control the way we interact with it. 

Knowing this, I came into this job determined to bring the idea of human factors and subjective risks to the forefront of our discussion of field risk management. What has been surprising is how hungry people were for this conversation. I continue to learn from all of the people with whom I work as we share stories and look for ways to be better teams in the field. The better the team, the safer the environment.

What opportunities are available for polar scientists with bachelors, masters, or PhD? For example, how important do you think a PhD is for landing a job outside academia? 

Since I am not someone who originated in academia and have nothing beyond a BA, I can safely say there are plenty of opportunities for scientists who have experience in the polar regions. The practical experience you have camping and living in harsh polar climates shows your ability to have tremendous tolerance for uncertainty and an ever changing environment. This could be beneficial in so many applications. I see advocacy work as being one of the best things that folks in academia can lend their expertise to. It is no secret that changes need to happen for the planet to remain viable and the scientific/academia background is certainly what advocacy groups need to help their further their work.

How did you find your current job? Do you have advice on searching for jobs and networking for job opportunities?
My job did not exist before I took it. It was a unique opportunity to be offered a position that I would end up having a large part in creating and implementing. Up to this point in my career, I have held a number of jobs within the outdoor/guiding industry and have taken advantage of all opportunities that have come my way. This has allowed me not only to network with a diverse workforce but also built a large set of skills that allows me to look at risk as a multi-faceted component that directly relates to the success of field work.

How creative can you be at work? 

My job allows for tons of creativity. While people generally don't want more things added to their plate in regards to trainings or box checking, I have the time and capacity to best understand where we can add value to the way we set teams up for success. While it can take some time for change to be accepted, I have found ways to bring ideas to life through a variety of pathways, both formal and informal. And because I work so closely with people, I am always curious of the human experience and how it interacts with something like Antarctic field work. It's hard work that is no stranger to challenges in all forms. How we react to, interact with and manage those challenges is a unique puzzle that can make or break a field season.

Briefly describe your day-to-day work life 

Day to day consists of administrative duties on the computer, working with contractors on our freezer systems, providing tours, working with PI's sampling ice, preparing for our inventory move, packing and shipping samples or repairing equipment used in the freezer. 

What are some transferable skills from your academic preparation or time in academia?  

The most transferable skills from my early academic times were computer skills and organizational management. 

What is the most surprising part of your current position?   

How far the science community still has to go to explain climate change in a digestible way to the general public. 

What advice would you give to someone interested in a non-academic or alternative academic career?  

Your options are limited in the polar programs but possible with persistence and taking advantage of opportunities when they present themselves even when it may not be the job you're looking for. 

How is the workplace culture and work/life balance at your current position?  

This position is the best balance for work/life I've had in my working career. 

What opportunities are available for polar scientists with bachelors, masters, or PhD? For example, how important do you think a PhD is for landing a job outside academia?  

Very limited without additional or complimentary skill sets or focus. 

How did you find your current job? Do you have advice on searching for jobs and networking for job opportunities? 

Word of mouth when I was still employed in the USAP and then through USA Jobs. My advice would be to join every social networking site that lists jobs in fields of interest. 

Is there anything else that you want to share?   

I use almost every hard and soft skill I've learned over the past 35 years at this job. Carpentry, light engineering and science fabrication, project and science management, education and curriculum development, cold exposure techniques, technical writing, and people management. 

Briefly describe your day-to-day work life. 

I work on a myriad of projects that incorporate aspects of earth science to address national security challenges. My research portfolio involves a diverse set of projects that includes understanding the climate and health impacts of fire-emitted aerosols, biogenic carbon tracking during fuel processing using stable and radiogenic isotopes, and remote sensing applications for environmental management. On a day-to-day basis, I analyze and interpret data, meet with colleagues to discuss results, propose new projects, and write manuscripts to communicate our science. 

What were the best parts or the most challenging parts of transitioning into your current position form your academic experiences? (undergraduate, graduate school, postdoc, professional in academia, etc.?) 

Transitioning to a new scientific field can be hard. There is a new language and history to learn in order to understand the state of the science and the needs and challenges of the field. A postdoc position can be a wonderful time to learn how your skills can be applied to answer a new set of questions. The other challenge of transitioning through a research career is the changing responsibilities. As a PhD student and as a Postdoc, I developed skills on how to read and learn from journal articles, develop and perform scientific projects, and write a manuscript. As I progressed, that responsibility has become more centered on meeting and understanding needs of sponsors, proposing research, and managing other people who perform the science. Those responsibilities need to be sought and practiced in order to be successful but are not prioritized for students. 

What are some transferable skills from your academic preparation or time in academia?  

The most important skill I gained during graduate school is learning how to present my science results, which tend to be pretty narrow, in a way that demonstrates its applicability to a broader scientific community. If you can explain why your science matters in commonly used language, then you can better engage colleagues in collaborations and program managers who influence funding opportunities. 

What advice would you give to someone interested in a non-academic or alternative academic career?  

Two things: Ask how all the "behind-the-curtain" stuff happens. Where does funding come from? How often do you talk to program managers? How do you communicate of PMs or journal editors? How do you build collaborations? Those are skills that go with you everywhere, may be more important than how to do science, and are rarely discussed between mentor and mentee. Invest in DEI. Understand inherent biases that may promote certain groups of people within your chosen career (or activity). Being appealing is a skill by itself. The people that look best on paper are not always those who will be best at a job (or any other activity). Being open minded, empathetic, and inclusive can improve your workplace, or whatever group you collaborate. 

What opportunities are available for polar scientists with bachelors, masters, or PhD? For example, how important do you think a PhD is for landing a job outside academia?  

At Los Alamos National Lab, there are opportunities for all of these education backgrounds. Many people start as a post-education program (post-bach, post-masters, or post-doc). Those positions are temporary (~2 years) and provide a way to get to know the laboratory, its interests, and know colleagues. Post-Bach and Post-Masters positions tend to lead to "technologist" or "technician" positions that are equivalent to laboratory technicians in academia. Post-Docs may be converted to research scientists, but that can be a competitive track and requires some luck.  

How creative can you be at work?  

Creativity is encouraged. At LANL, scientists are expected to be broad and adaptable to respond to changing needs of the sponsors (DOE, DoD, etc). This means that we may change scientific focus on a 2-3 year cycle. Being creative is a skill that allows you to apply your science in a novel way to a subject you may not be an expert at. 

Is there anything else that you want to share?  

Science is hard. It is competitive. The culture can promote poor work-life balance and adversarial interactions. To be successful also takes some luck. But these problems are becoming more widely acknowledged and I see more people trying to make science more diverse, equitable, and inclusive. Encouragingly, I see people in management who have greater influence on culture taking real actions to make a change. 

Briefly describe your day-to-day work life. 

I am responsible for the technical leadership of our Climate Analytics team. Our leadership consists of 3-4 'client focused' leaders, an engineering manager, and myself as a 'science manager'. I plan, oversee, coordinate, and strategize our science development, which is focused on using climate model data and existing methodologies to develop climate information relevant for consultants to use and for clients to act upon (e.g. what is the risk of wildfires in a certain region, and how will that change in the future?). We have around 10 climate scientists who use part of their time to develop the science, which I support them on. I am also involved in a variety of internal and client-facing projects, for which I can use my climate expertise and technical leadership skills. I work mostly remote but go into the Denver office regularly to meet my colleagues in person, and I have the opportunity to travel from time to time. 

What were the best parts or the most challenging parts of transitioning into your current position form your academic experiences? (undergraduate, graduate school, postdoc, professional in academia, etc.?) 

best parts: much more structure; management, administrative, and personal support; team-oriented work focus; clearer work-life boundaries; broader focus and more direct impact; learning opportunities; exposure to a wide spectrum of climate/energy/carbon experts and methodologies. most challenging parts: new environment and finding new 'niche', building an entirely new network; figuring out the consulting jargon; combining the science development timeline (which is slow) with fast-paced consulting timelines. 

What are some transferable skills from your academic preparation or time in academia?  

So many: analytical thinking, technical writing, leadership, presentation skills, programming/coding skills, ability to quickly digest and synthesize information, etc. Some of these I had developed during my entire academic career, others are more specific to my previous role as a professor. 

What is the most surprising part of your current position? 

The private/consulting industry is only starting to appreciate the importance of climate change associated risks. A lot of attempts are being made to generate useful data, but what is usually lacking is a thorough understanding of what these data mean (and what they don't), the climate system, and the ability to communicate climate science to clients. There is a huge gap in the labor market for climate science expertise. 

What advice would you give to someone interested in a non-academic or alternative academic career?  

Academia is focused on individual performance and achievement, and when operating in your 'academic bubble' it is challenging to see how relevant your expertise is (and how useful it can be). You have many more skills, and much more relevant knowledge than you think. 

How is the workplace culture and work/life balance at your current position?  

Much more supportive for my personal growth than in academia (esp. in a leadership position). Much more team-oriented and empathetic. Consulting is a fast-paced environment, but it depends a lot on your specific role how much that affects your own life (and you typically have a say in that). The big difference in terms of work-life balance is that my days are more structured, and that I can go on PTO/weekend and leave my work aside. That is very liberating! 

What opportunities are available for polar scientists with bachelors, masters, or PhD? For example, how important do you think a PhD is for landing a job outside academia?  

Geospatial companies, federal labs, think thanks, consulting, new climate tech startups -- a wide array of options. For technical work, my sense is that a Masters is desirable, but I haven't done a lot of recruiting (yet). A PhD is a plus, but not usually necessary. But it gives you a head start in terms of technical and time management skills for sure! 

How did you find your current job? Do you have advice on searching for jobs and networking for job opportunities? 

Of course there are the classic channels: Google, LinkedIn, Glassdoor. But more importantly, use your network, and expand it. Whenever you talk to someone new, ask them a name or two of others to talk to - this will give you access to a new network in no time. I ultimately found my current job through my network. Having a LinkedIn profile is really important for any non-academic job. 

How creative can you be at work?  

Very creative! I have a lot of flexibility to define new directions to strategize, which is a really valuable to me.  

What were the best parts or the most challenging parts of transitioning into your current position from your academic experiences (undergraduate, graduate school, postdoc, professional in academia, etc)?

Having moved several times while growing up, in my 20s and 30s I was both comfortable with and excited by the prospect of cross-country moves during transitions for new job opportunities. As for many, such a move was probably hardest after graduate school, where I'd spent the most amount of time and developed my most cherished network of friends. Looking back on it now, it was very formative to have some time after graduate school to focus inward on my personal interests outside of science. Later on, I was apprehensive that transitioning into government research would involve substantially more bureaucracy than my previous research position at a large university, but in truth there isn't much difference.

What is the most surprising part of your current position?

The variety! In any given week, I may be coding an new algorithm, meeting congressional representatives or ambassadors in another country, writing a manuscript, being interviewed by national media, presenting my results at a conference, or flying in a plane while surveying ice at the poles. Mixing it up keeps the job stimulating and engaging.

What advice would you give to someone interested in a non-academic or alternative academic career?

Your degree is worth exactly what you put into it, and that's often much more then core expertise in a specific discipline. When you fairly assess the skills you've acquired during your degree, you will qualify find that you could readily qualify for non-academic positions as well. The way I prefer to think of a job candidate with an advanced degree is that they are someone who can see a long-term project through, and that takes a range of valuable skills beyond the technical.

What opportunities are available for polar scientists with bachelors, masters, or PhD? For example, how important do you think a PhD is for landing a job outside academia?

I'm most familiar with the opportunities available for PhD polar scientists, of which there are an increasing number in government, NGOs, and companies. In all these organizations, individuals are always needed who can translate raw data into meaningful and actionable information for decision-makers. This often requires someone who both deeply understands those data and has the additional skills necessary to translate them to a broader audience, which most PhDs possess. On mailing lists such as cryolist and ArcticInfo, there is a steady drumbeat of government and NGO positions available for PhDs, and in other forums companies are increasingly recruiting individuals with climate expertise that polar scientists often possess.

How creative can you be at work? 
As a research scientist, I truly feel and experience that the opportunities for creativity are huge and a big part of the appeal of the job. While there are some constraints in government, the freedom to be scientifically creative is robust for NASA scientists. You have creativity in what you propose to do, how you propose to do it, often where and when you do it, and how you present the end result of the study. Further, "successful" creativity in science, which I'd describe as work that others also understand and admire, often begets more opportunities for creativity. On the smaller scale, I find figure design to be an especially rewarding creative outlet.

Briefly describe your day-to-day work life. 

Support Chief, National Civil Applications Center (NCAC) and USGS Senior Management with respect to issues related to remote sensing, civil applications, and Federal Civil Community – Intelligence Community interactions. Provide advice on and participate in the use of remotely-sensed geospatial data from multiple sources, including open sources, commercial vendors, and US National Imagery Systems for use in Federal Agency scientific and geospatial research and mission area activities. Develop presentations and training to inform and educate Federal Civil Community scientists and researchers and the external community about the benefits resulting from the use of US National Imagery Systems Data and related geospatial data in accomplishing Agency missions. Facilitate and coordinate research activities of a group of US Government scientists and image analysts. Support Global Fiducials Program Working Group activities and participate in interagency committees such as Intelligence Community Environmental Security Working Group (ICESWG), Historical Imagery Declassification Panel, and Geospatial Intelligence Review Editorial Board. Organize and lead field investigations and digital remote-sensing investigations in support of Global Fiducials Program at select locations, including: Arctic sea ice; Bering Glacier, Alaska; Glacier Bay, Alaska; Las Vegas Wash, Henderson, NV; Fire Island National Seashore, NY; and East Timbalier Island, LA. 

What were the best parts or the most challenging parts of transitioning into your current position form your academic experiences? (Undergraduate, graduate school, postdoc, professional in academia, etc.?) 

I transitioned from teaching geology courses at Amherst College where I was spending nearly all of my time preparing lectures, exams, grading papers and tests, and interacting with students to traveling to a remote Alaskan field area where I boarded a research vessel and commenced an intensive multi-month-long geological and geophysical investigation of environmental hazards that could adversely impact resource development. Following the completion of the research cruise /field work, the samples and date that we collected was brought back to the laboratory, where I worked full time for many months processing and analyzing the data that we collected, followed by the preparation of detailed summaries of what we learned. This pattern of field data collection, followed by laboratory analysis, followed by preparation of summary reports and publications, persisted for more than a decade. 

What advice would you give to someone interested in a non-academic or alternative academic career?  

As someone who has not held a full-time academic position in 50 years, I would tell someone interested in a non-academic or alternative academic career that they should enthusiastically pursue this type of a career because it may offer full time research opportunities with travel and publication opportunities, self-directed studies, and career benefits equal to or superior to those in the academic world. 

How is the workplace culture and work/life balance at your current position?  

In general, the workplace culture and work/life balance is friendly, easy-going, and positive, with many opportunities to interact with co-workers during the workday/week. Our responsibilities are overlapping so staff with different skills and functions frequently interact. I work in a research/analysis facility where we use many different types of data, obtained from multiple sources, ranging from open-source, to commercial, to government. Some of the data are classified and require special handling to protect sources and methods. Everyone I work with is highly educated and highly trained, with special skills unique to their positions. Many of the younger employees have families with young children. Older staff, like me, have seen our children grow up and leave home. Our leadership provides opportunities for all staff to interact and participate in non-work related activities such as monthly breakfast bagels and holiday season lunches. 

What were the best parts or the most challenging parts of transitioning into your current position form your academic experiences? (undergraduate, graduate school, postdoc, professional in academia, etc.?) 

One of the best parts and also challenges is learning to work with a large team toward a common organizational goal. In academic work, the success of a project is in the control of just a few people and your success is mostly dependent on your or effort or efforts of a few. At a larger company, so many people and skillsets are needed to get the job done and learning to navigate this is both exciting and challenging. 

What are some transferable skills from your academic preparation or time in academia?  

The biggest transferrable skill is being able to see a complex and seemingly intractable problem and break it down into solvable parts. In industry, complex problems are everywhere and range from technical to organizational to procedural. Academic training builds the skill to create a path through the complexity. A second skill is critical thinking and questioning assumptions that others might not. The experience of having your first publication subject to critical reviewers -- and providing this kind of peer review to others -- builds the skill to deliberately see all sides of the problem, look for inconsistencies, and influence the team to address small problems before they become big ones down the road. Finally, academic training teaches you how to write and communicate clearly. This needs refinement to eliminate jargon in the business world, but the foundation of clarity is very transferrable. 

What advice would you give to someone interested in a non-academic or alternative academic career?  

Build your non-academic network! I hated building a network and still do, but it is so important to getting a foot in the door. Also, get professional help writing your resume. There are so many automated tools used to recruit and screen people, that you want someone who knows these ropes to help you out. 

What opportunities are available for polar scientists with bachelors, masters, or PhD? For example, how important do you think a PhD is for landing a job outside academia?  

A PhD is not important to land a job outside of academia. In fact, one ding against some PhD candidates - sometimes - is that they have a stereotype overly perfectionist and not get things done. I think polar scientists can combat this with examples of field work and getting things done under tight fieldwork or lab-time deadlines. There are many opportunities in the medical and life sciences industries. Medical imaging in particular uses many of the signal processing, physics, and basic math used in many polar studies. While a direct science role may not be an exact fit, many R&D organizations need people and leaders with technical capability to manage projects and organize people. 

How did you find your current job? Do you have advice on searching for jobs and networking for job opportunities?  

All of my jobs have been found through a contact in my network. I have had a few interviews with "cold" applications, but most success is through a contact who knows you well. Right now, I'm looking for work because the startup I was with ran out of money. So I'm back to working my LinkedIn network and, getting my resume professionally overhauled. 

How creative can you be at work?  

It depends on the role, and this is a great question to have in mind during the interview process.  

Is there anything else that you want to share?  

Good luck! 

Briefly describe your day-to-day work life.  

Most days I spend my time writing and/or editing papers, proposals or other documents. During winter months, I do about a day a month of field work at a nearby watershed. I actively serve on many graduate student committees and enjoy devoting time to mentoring their work and aligning with agency needs. Working with students is one of the best parts of my job. 

What are some transferable skills from your academic preparation or time in academia?  

Time and data management. Shifting efficiently between projects requires organization, documentation and prioritization, and is the key to success. Learning to program in a modern language helps achieve this goal through automation of the seemingly mundane. Last, the writing skills I acquired in school transfer to my day to day. Writing is a life-long goal, so starting early, and dedicating time to it pays dividends. 

How is the workplace culture and work/life balance at your current position?  

Compared to my academic colleagues, I have a better balance. I still work hard, sometimes nights/weekends, but not as routinely. 

What opportunities are available for polar scientists with bachelors, masters, or PhD? For example, how important do you think a PhD is for landing a job outside academia?  

It depends what you want to do; if you want to do technical research, a masters can actually be better. You can still advance plenty far, but will be spared a lot of administrative work. 

Briefly describe your day-to-day work life 

At present I typically spend 5 months of the year running about like crazy working very long days in Antarctica, then the next 7 months at home working my own hours, working through the material gathered over the previous 5 months, but also working on other projects and preparing for future work. 

How is the workplace culture and work/life balance at your current position?  

Overall it is pretty good. It does mean committing to about 6 months of full-on long days and almost no time off. On the flip side, the other half of the year you can pretty much set your own pace and work on projects. 

What opportunities are available for polar scientists with bachelors, masters, or PhD? For example, how important do you think a PhD is for landing a job outside academia?  

For science communication and media work, a solid foundational background knowledge is a huge bonus. It means that your work will be taken seriously in the media world, and you will have the skills to understand and fact check what you are reporting on. 

How did you find your current job? Do you have advice on searching for jobs and networking for job opportunities? 

Networking. Lots of networking, but also developing a portfolio of work to show off your skills as you go. In the filmmaking and photography world it all comes down to what examples of your work you can show off rather than the qualifications on paper. 

How creative can you be at work?  

Extremely. Creating new engaging ways of presenting material to the wider public. Using cameras in unique new ways, the engineering challenges of designing equipment that will be reliable in extreme conditions. 

Briefly describe your day-to-day work life.  

My days vary depending on where I am in the process of writing a story. When I'm reporting, I read everything I can get my hands on, interview a lot of people, and often go into the field for a few days or weeks to observe whatever phenomenon or project I'm writing about. When it's time to write, I try to sit down for a few hours of uninterrupted work at a time, broken up by walks or exercise, and crank out a fast and loose first draft. Then I revise, together with my editor, until we are happy with the story. Just before publication, the piece goes through a rigorous final edit and fact-checking process. Then it goes out into the world and I take a deep breath before diving into the next project! 

What were some of the best parts or the most challenging parts of transitioning into your current position from your academic experiences (undergraduate, graduate school, postdoc, professional in academia, etc.?) 

One of the hardest parts of transitioning was a lack of role models, connections, and established pathways to an "alternative" career. I had a sense for where I wanted to go, but felt like I was groping blindly to get there. Eventually, I found some people who had made a similar switch and could advise me. I also found a fellowship program (the AAAS Mass Media Fellowship) that was designed to give scientists experience in journalism, and that was really the key to my success. 

What are some transferable skills from your academic preparation or time in academia?  

There are a lot of parallels between academic research and journalism. Both are motivated by a desire to answer difficult questions, and they require curiosity, resourcefulness, attention to detail and skepticism. Though I had a lot to learn about the rules and craft of journalism, I felt that my PhD experience prepared me to be a good reporter. 

What advice would you give to someone interested in a non-academic or alternative academic career?  

Imagine your ideal job and try to create it. Don't wait to see if it already exists. You'd be surprised how much you can craft a unique and satisfying career. 

How is the workplace culture and work/life balance at your current position?  

I am self-employed, which means my work/life balance can be great or terrible--and I can only blame myself! I have learned over time how to work more efficiently and protect my free time. I have two young kids and usually work less than 40 hours per week, but generally accomplish what I need to do without working evenings and weekends. 

What opportunities are available for polar scientists with bachelors, masters, or PhD? For example, how important do you think a PhD is for landing a job outside academia?  

In general, my experience is that degrees matter much less outside of academia. It's more about your skills and your track record of work. My training was important when I first started out, because I had no journalism background and few published clips. But editors knew that I could take on technical earth science stories because of my education. Now, however, my editors don't usually know or care that I have a PhD and many of my colleagues who do outstanding science journalism have no science background at all. 

How did you find your current job? Do you have advice on searching for jobs and networking for job opportunities?  

It took me a few years to become fully self-sufficient as a freelancer. I had to establish good working relationships with a few editors who became my mainstays, then slowly worked to expand that circle by pitching new outlets. Early on, networking was extremely important. I needed editors to recognize my name enough to open my pitches and at least consider them. Attending journalism conferences and workshops was key (it turns out old-fashioned shoulder rubbing and exchanging business cards is still a thing!). I also made a lot of connections through my social network. Don't underestimate your friends! When you're looking outside of academia, they may know more relevant people than your professional contacts. 

How creative can you be at work?  

My job is all about creativity, which is a big part of why I love it! I get to choose which stories I write, who I write them for, and what style I write them in. For me, it's a perfect blend of analysis and creativity. 

Is there anything else that you want to share?  

There are lots of great resources for scientists who want to go into journalism or science communication. Here are a few: 

• https://www.theopennotebook.com/ , 
• https://www.aaas.org/programs/mass-media-fellowship , 
• https://www.nasw.org/  

Briefly describe your day-to-day work life.  

One thing I love about my job is that the work varies a lot day-to-day. I have what might be considered a “portfolio career," which means I combine a variety of consulting roles into a full-time career (my primary role being as Global Mountains Director for the International Cryosphere Climate Initiative).  

Most weeks, I work from home. I have pretty flexible hours, but I try to keep my work week to Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm to maintain a healthy work-life balance (not to mention, my toddler is in daycare during those hours!). However, I work with colleagues and partners around the world, which sometimes requires early or late Zoom meetings. I also travel for work roughly every two months, most often for policy-related events. I weigh the value of each trip with its carbon footprint, and I work virtually as much as possible; but the reality is that the bulk of climate diplomacy work still happens in-person.  

In general, the projects I work on are very collaborative, so every week I attend a number of virtual of meetings with coworkers, scientists, partner organizations, and policymakers. I spend some time each day keeping up with the latest scientific and policy developments; scoping for opportunities to leverage cryosphere science in climate policy work; and implementing projects in that space. This includes organizing and/or participating in dialogues, meetings, panels, workshops, policy briefs, publications, etc., often through UN processes. I also take on projects as they arise, based on the needs of colleagues, partner organizations, and the governments and stakeholders whose climate ambitions I’m working to help move forward. 

What were some of the best parts or the most challenging parts of transitioning into your current position from your academic experiences (undergraduate, graduate school, postdoc, professional in academia, etc.?) 

I came onto this career path straight from submitting my PhD dissertation. Some of the best parts of transitioning into this career have included being able to take on varied projects that bring together different interests of mine that were sidelined during grad school; having the opportunity to learn a huge amount in a new sphere; and having more agency over my career trajectory than I think I’d have if I pursued the postdoc/academic route. The biggest benefit for me, though, has been the ability to make a more immediate societal contribution that I personally felt I could make as a full-time researcher. Research, of course, is also essential to positive change; but at this stage in my career, I'm more satisfied being more directly action-oriented. 

 I think many of us in grad school feel some obligation, maybe self-imposed, to stay on the academic track for one reason or another. For me, one of the greatest challenges of transitioning into my current role was coming to terms with the fact that leaving academia was not “giving up” or “failing”; I wasn’t disappointing the people who had supported me in academia (and if I was, that wouldn’t have been a good reason to stay). Happily, I’ve found that my past mentors and supervisors are very supportive of my new path. A related benefit of having a portfolio career is that I can pursue a variety of side projects, and so I still choose to collaborate with many past mentors in different ways. 

What are some transferable skills from your academic preparation or time in academia?  

There are tons. I found it useful to maintain a running document alongside my primary CV, which I updated every time I undertook a project (publication, speaking engagement, side project, etc.) that wasn't my primary research project, noting the main skills I employed and the things I accomplished. In my line of work, transferable skills have included project management (a dissertation counts!); writing and editing (including peer reviewed articles, outreach articles, and reports); project leadership (through APECS, departmental seminar series, etc.); research and data analysis (no issue there as a grad student); policy engagement/analysis (APECS or PSECCO can often help with opportunities or connections); event organizing (including conference sessions); and especially, speaking and other forms of public communication and outreach. If you're interested in policy work, I highly recommend pursuing speaking opportunities, especially to public/policy audiences. 

What advice would you give to someone interested in a non-academic or alternative academic career?  

I’d strongly recommend taking advantage of external opportunities that involve building new skills and/or engaging with new organizations. If you can do things like volunteer in a leadership capacity with APECS, take on a temporary or part-time fellowship outside your university, work as a note-taker or report-writer for a science-policy organization, or join a leadership committee for an organization like SCAR or IASC, I’d highly recommend it. These opportunities are great for building transferable skills and, especially, for networking. Overall, it's helpful if you can gradually establish a reputation for yourself as a great researcher AND… Unfortunately, these opportunities are often unpaid, which can be challenging or impossible for many of us. Don’t be afraid to reach out to folks in your field to ask for advice on not only finding, but also funding non-academic opportunities. Once you establish new connections, it helps also to let them know you’re looking for non-academic or alternative academic work. 

Briefly describe your day-to-day work life 

My work days can be quite varied from day-to-day and depends greatly on the time of year. Some days I am planning a calendar of events for the museum's season, others I am developing or leading educational programming. Some days I am immersed in academic research or collections digitization, while other days see me advocating for museums in government. 

What were the best parts or the most challenging parts of transitioning into your current position from your academic experiences (undergraduate, graduate school, postdoc, professional in academia, etc)?   

The transition from university life to the museum industry was fairly smooth; both rely on soft money (grant funding, multiple funding sources, etc), both are full of people who are both overqualified and very passionate about their career paths. The biggest difference for me was moving into leadership positions that required me to flex my empathy muscles on a regular basis and take into account other's lived experiences when making decisions that affect people other than myself. 

What are some transferable skills from your academic preparation or time in academia?  

Effective time management, taking the initiative to find more efficient methods, working well with others, maintaining a focus on small details without losing sight of the bigger picture, effective communication (both written and oral), and being flexible and open to different ways of doing the work (whether from lack of funding, access to subject matter experts, and/or creating novel approaches). 

What is the most surprising part of your current position?   

I was very surprised to learn how much personality management and emotional labour is required from good leaders. Navigating a public service centre during a global pandemic didn't make that any easier! 

What advice would you give to someone interested in a non-academic or alternative academic career?  

If you're interested, do it! Even if you decide it's ultimately not for you, you can always return to academia. I greatly value all of my colleagues in formal education, government, and the museum industry but there's something to be said for those of us who pursue sharing science with as many people as possible, no matter their age, income, education, etc. 

How is the workplace culture and work/life balance at your current position?  

Much more sustainable than graduate school. Even with my level of responsibility, I am able to leave the workplace and go home to my family without focusing on work (most days). And museum culture is very rewarding emotionally (but not usually financially). 

What opportunities are available for polar scientists with bachelors, masters, or PhD? For example, how important do you think a PhD is for landing a job outside academia?  

A PhD, EdD, or other similarly relevant doctoral degree can help open some doors outside of academia, but are usually not necessary for government or museum jobs (not counting most research/curatorial roles). 

How did you find your current job? Do you have advice on searching for jobs and networking for job opportunities? 

Even while employed, I always stay on list serves, forums, and groups for jobs in my field of expertise. I found the job in Nova Scotia on a Facebook post and decided to apply without the expectation that an American would be a final candidate. Luckily for me, they decided that they liked what I could offer the museum!  

How creative can you be at work?  

Very! I make decisions about exhibit design, logos, upgrades to the building and grounds, and even design some museum-specific merch. We're a small museum so everyone helps and contributes in whatever ways we're best suited to. 

Is there anything else that you want to share?   

Your job/career should be interesting to you but should not be your entire identity. No job is ever going to make you feel fulfilled, so make sure you choose a career path that allows you to pursue other things that will. 

Briefly describe your day-to-day work life

I'll admit there isn’t so much a “typical” day as much as possibly a “typical” week—for example, some days are loaded with back-to-back(-to-back) meetings, other days are mostly spent researching a topic, performing an analysis, or writing up the results (i.e., getting to do actual work and research), and still other days are filled largely with project management responsibilities (e.g., tracking tasks, managing expenditures, scheduling meetings). That said, most days start with a quick sweep through my inbox to see what emails were sent overnight and a cursory read of any morning news. I next try to diligently map out a to-do list to focus my day, making time for and prioritizing necessary tasks. From there, it’s a mix of attending meetings, doing work, and keeping an eye on my inbox for any time-sensitive requests.

What were the best parts or the most challenging parts of transitioning into your current position from your academic experiences (undergraduate, graduate school, postdoc, professional in academia, etc)?  

The best part of transitioning into science policy is that I get to continue feeding my curiosity on a variety of topics and communicate what I learn to inform national science and technology policy. The most challenging part of transitioning into science policy from academia was the change in project tempo (though thankfully this has relaxed some since coming to STPI). I've often characterized academia as working on monthly to yearly time scales while my time on the Hill and at the State Department often expected work on daily to weekly (and sometimes just a handful of hours) time scales.

What are some transferable skills from your academic preparation or time in academia? 

I think there are a number of transferrable skills that I took from my graduate experience, including persuasive writing, critical thinking, working collaboratively, distilling information, thinking objectively, strategic planning, rigorous analysis, the ability to navigate an open-ended environment, working with available resources (e.g., improvising in-the-field solutions), and a wide-ranging scientific network. A lot of the above comes from developing lab skills and expertise working with specialized equipment, conducting fieldwork (e.g., thriving and surviving), and grant writing. If anything, the combination of my continuously curious outlook and consistent attempts to apply previously learned lessons is probably the biggest component of my ability to adapt to evolving science policy opportunities, something I definitely developed and honed during my PhD.

What is the most surprising part of your current position?  

The most (pleasantly) surprising part of my current position are the people I get to work with, both in my office and the office we're often supporting, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Everyone is so incredibly sharp and motivated. And it’s always fun to work collaboratively on a challenging problem, especially when time is tight, and the opportunity to inform Federal policies in the science and technology realm is an incredible honor. (Admittedly, a close second is my (un)surprisingly DC bike commute: my path winds past the Supreme Court, the Capitol building, many of the Smithsonian museums and monuments along the Mall, and the White House.)

What advice would you give to someone interested in a non-academic or alternative academic career? 

If someone is interested in a non-academic career, I would proffer an exuberant and supportive "just do it!" And there are two flavors of this: (1) reach out to folks who are doing the kind of job that you think you're interested in and request to have an informational coffee with them to learn more, or (2) apply and learn for yourself whether the job or field fits with how you imagined it would be. Sometimes, in spite of any/all the research you may do beforehand, you still have to experience a job (or/and locale) to fully understand whether it sits well with you.

How is the workplace culture and work/life balance at your current position? 

The workplace culture in my office is quite collaborative and its hierarchy is quite similar to an academic department, I feel. It is collaborative because nearly all of our projects require a team of some kind to complete the task. Often, I may be a team member on one researcher's task and a project leader of that person on another task. I would say the work/life balance in my current position is pretty positive: there is never an expectation to unnecessarily "work late," per se, with the acknowledgement that some things need to get done when they are expected done (and while we often have a hand in informing deadlines, sometimes we do not).

What opportunities are available for polar scientists with bachelors, masters, or PhD? For example, how important do you think a PhD is for landing a job outside academia? 

Focusing on “science policy” as a sector outside academia for folks to contemplate, I think its reliance on well-informed analyses—sometimes quick-turn, other times slower and more methodical—to inform decision making and policies means there will always be opportunities for polar scientists to engage. To be honest, so many of today’s decisions and policies require expert input, full stop. 

If I were advising students to prepare to be competitive and successful in the world of science policy, I would suggest engaging in the following three areas (while caveating that there is likely no definitive list): (1) develop and nurture your sense of curiosity so that you become a life-long learner, (2) establish and refine your ability to communicate in a few different modalities (e.g., written, oral, social media) to different audiences (e.g., lay audiences, informed audiences, science community peers), and (3) engage in meaningful ways to connect with other like-minded people (i.e., network). 

I think there is room for folks with bachelors, masters, and PhDs, and I don't think it is critical to have a PhD in order to land a job in science policy. So long as you have engaged in the aforementioned areas, the level of education becomes secondary, I think. That said, there are notable opportunities that require advanced degrees. For example, the IDA Science Policy Fellowship at my workplace is one of the handful I've seen offered specifically to bachelors-level folks. More fellowships welcome masters and PhD-holding candidates (e.g., Sea Grant Knauss Fellowship, Christine Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Graduate Fellowship Program) with even more open only to PhDs (e.g., AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellowship).

How did you find your current job? Do you have advice on searching for jobs and networking for job opportunities?

It's a little fuzzy, but I do remember a friend (or alumni fellows' listserv email) broadcasting for a researcher opportunity in early 2019 and, after reviewing the advertisement, I submitted my application material. Like many jobs, you have to make it past the first layer of HR reviewers (i.e., qualify for the position). And knowing now a little better about how "researcher" applicants are reviewed here at IDA STPI, I think it was a serendipitous mix of my experience meeting the minimum requirements for the position to be filled and my coincidental presentation of a Story Collider story the same night in 2017 as one of the then "recruitment" researchers at IDA STPI (in 2019). 

Given the above story, I cannot (and do not) deny the role of networking in science policy—it is there and it happens. Besides potentially being beneficial, active networking introduces you to so many interesting people who have done amazing and inspiring things. 

If you’re a student or early career scientist working toward getting your foot in the door, there are a few of things I would suggest (while also caveating that there is no "one way" to network): (1) start by talking to people you know, (2) leverage existing resources such as your school’s alumni list, and (3) don’t be afraid to be polite (e.g., politely say “hi” [and possibly share a business card], politely ask for time (e.g., an informational coffee), politely thank them for their insights (and use a spreadsheet to politely remind yourself of who you’ve connected with). 

• What I mean by “talking to people you know” is simply to start with folks you already work with and who know you in some capacity. Perhaps it’s your advisor or sports coach or relative. Share your ambitions with them because, if they know someone—someone who does the job you think you want to do—they’ll be more likely to want to reach out and provide an introduction. 

• Leverage existing resources so that you can more readily reach out to people using an established connection (e.g., the same alma mater). 

• Remember to be polite. Time is a limited resource, and while everyone may be busy doing their day job, most everyone was, at some point in their careers, an outsider looking in and curious about how to step through the door themselves. Not only should you follow-up with people who have generously shared their time and insights with you, remember that in a few years you will likely be in a position to pay it forward. Please do.

Is there anything else that you want to share?  

There is no one "right choice" in life, but really it is about the choices that you decide to make right for yourself that matter. I share this idea whenever I give a "career talk," and it undoubtedly finds its roots from something I heard in my past. It has helped me get over the occasional anxiety associated with making career choices including whether to take the path leading away from academia that I am on now.