• Question: would you ever change your career path?

    Asked by mikeala on 3 Apr 2025.
    • Photo: Jenny Murdoch

      Jenny Murdoch answered on 3 Apr 2025:

      Plenty of people do change their career path, although it’s not something I’m considering right now. But I think it’s important to know that you aren’t ‘stuck’ doing one thing, there are ways to change so you can try something different.

    • Photo: Erin Pallott

      Erin Pallott answered on 7 Apr 2025:

      I’m definitely considering it! I think I enjoy writing, talking, and teaching about science than doing the research myself.

    • Photo: Charlotte Slade

      Charlotte Slade answered on 1 Jul 2025: last edited 1 Jul 2025 13:05

      That is a fantastic question, and my answer might surprise you. In a way, I already have!

      The best way to think about a career path is that it’s not a single, straight railway line that you’re stuck on forever. It’s more like building up a toolkit.

      When I did my PhD in Physics, I was adding some really powerful, specialized tools to my kit. I learned how to solve incredibly complex problems, how to design experiments, and how to find answers in confusing data. It’s like I learned how to use a super-powered microscope and a laser-cutter.

      But then I realised that what I loved most was using those tools to help a whole team build something amazing. So I made a change. I moved into my current job as a R&D Innovation Leader. I didn’t throw away my old tools; I just added new ones to the kit, like leadership, communication, and business planning.

      I still use my physicist’s toolkit every single day. That training taught me how to think, and I use it to break down big business problems.

      So, would I ever change my career path again?

      Absolutely, if I found a new, even bigger or more interesting problem that needed solving! Your career is a long adventure, and the goal is to keep learning and adding new skills to your toolkit. Each step you take, even if it feels like a change in direction, just makes you better equipped for the next challenge.

      P.S. It’s a bit like training my rescue husky. We started by learning “sit”, and then “paw”. Now we’re working on “shake hands.” I’d never say he’s “changed careers” from a sitter to a hand-shaker, he’s just becoming more multi-talented (and still as cute)

Comments

  • Photo: Edward

    Edward commented on :

    Yes because we should always prepared to consider new options. Often for your grandparents and perhaps your parents, they could have a job for life and be with the same employer until they retire.
    With advances in technology and AI, new jobs are being created and old jobs are changing or sometimes being lost.
    By all means focus on what you enjoy and what you want to do after school. However, it is very likely you will need to learn new skills as you go through your working life. Whilst it may seem that school ends at 18 or perhaps 21 if you go to university, learning and training are a key part of modern life.

    So yes, whilst I enjoy what I do, I always keep an eye out for new trends and new technologies that might affect my field.
    A good place to look is to see if your field of interest has a professional society. They often have a lot of information about what their members do and the skills they have. For my field, mathematics, I look at the pages of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications (IMA).

  • Photo: aureliabrzezowska

    aureliabrzezowska commented on :

    Currently, I don’t think so but you never know! Things in technology link so well together that I wouldn’t consider a change in role a change in career path.