Hi,
I was wondering if anyone here who is also doing a phd in evolutionary biology has some career ideas? I've pretty much decided against academia, but it does seem most industry jobs are focussed on molecular biologists and biotechnology. While i've done quite a lot of molecular work, ive not been messing about with proteins and the like that they seem to look for. I quite like writing (although ask me again in six months time after writing up and i might disagree) but I'm just confused as to what I can do. I'm worried I'll end up working in a supermarket....

Check out a publication called Science Creative Quarterly. It is from a university in Canada-Toronto perhaps? I am sorry, but I don't remember exactly. Perhaps the academic folks that are behind that have some publications/articles/professional information on career tracks--they do have a fun and unique approach to science. Just a thought. They did, for instance, run a writing contest to scientifically "prove" the existence of the Flying Spaghetti Monster...

Odd feeling of deja vu, did you post something similar to this a while back? Anyhoo, i'm in evolutionary biology too, and i often worry about the same thing. My research experience is in genetics/ecology/biodiversity and i struggle to see how any of my lab experience/knowledge is transferable to biotech/industry type research (i don't know one end of a protein from the other). I fear that i have left myself with little choice but academia.

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I often think it would be good if i take one aspect of my experience and make a career out of it (e.g. writing) but then i realise that my heart isn't truely in writing and i would miss out on all the aspects of evolution i enjoy the most (e.g. lab work) plus i have no training as a journalist!

Sorry i can't actually offer any advice! But i just wanted to point out that this must be a very common feeling amongst budding evolutionary biologists everywhere.

I found this the other day, it might be of some interest:

http://www.iob.org/general.asp?section=education_careers/education_iob/careers/week_life

I'm in evolutionary anthropology and planning to stay in academia if I can cling on. I used to be in scientific then educational publishing though and that's something you could look into. The two kinds - journals and textbooks are quite different jobs and career paths. There's also science writing but that's a lot harder both to break into and sustain as a career.Y our University careers people should have information on both these options.

I'm in medical anthro - and in an applied program at that, they don't recommend us to stay in academics - and have worked at a cancer center for the last 15 years - and the there would seem to be an enormous place for your field in research with the direction (and *business*) of medicine and genetics - there is a huge need for ethical translation of science to pracice and policy; there's a great article by Holt, Holmes, Stonington and Eisenberg (2006) "Health is Still Social: Contemporary examples in the age of the Genome." PLOS 3(10).
I admire you all as my classes in evolutionary genetics left me piqued but bewildered. But you could possibly use research toward policy change. Good luck.

I love evolutionary biology- I just dont want it to be me doing the research :)