Business Basics for Scientists

12:30 pm – 2:30 pm     |     General: $25     Students: $15 
Convener: Anne Thessen 

The academic job market is rapidly filling with low-wage, low-security positions. According to the Department of Education, more than 40% of teaching staff at universities are part-time faculty without tenure or adjunct faculty. Despite this, there has not been a concerted effort to reduce the number of students or modify their training. This has left an entire generation of talented scientists with poor employment prospects. Many leave science entirely. Scientists who want to prepare for a career in industry must pursue those skills independently. To many, the prospect of retraining for the private sector may seem daunting.

This workshop will provide students and scientists information about 1) What they can do now to prepare for a career in the private sector, 2) How to start their own science-based company, and 3) The many misconceptions about industry.

The workshop will focus on resources and best practices for transitioning from academia to industry including, but not limited to 1) Differences and similarities between academia and industry, 2) Discovering your value proposition, and 3) Finding resources for starting your own company. This workshop will follow the same format as the similarly titled workshop held at CERF 2015.

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