Career

Should I get a PhD?

13 Apr, 2017 in Archive tagged Career / job / PhD by David

Several years ago I spent about eight months in an engineering group that had a very ineffective manager. His inability to provide strong leadership for the group was most apparent during our weekly staff meetings. During one such meeting I found myself particularly frustrated at the lack of clear direction, […]

Musings on a lame staff meeting (AKA: Valuable leadership lessons)

6 Apr, 2017 in Productivity at Work tagged Career / leadership / lessons by David

I talk about networking quite a bit, because it’s critical to building a rewarding career. Building real relationships that you maintain through your entire career will bring tremendous value. These relationships start with a first impression, and much of the time the first impression is based on that ubiquitous icebreaker […]

So, what do you do?

22 Mar, 2017 in Career Design / Interview skills / Networking Skills tagged Career / Engineers / jobs / networking / Scientist by David

People often ask me: “Should I look for a job at a big company or a small company?” This is an important question, as people tend to be wired to fit one better than the other. Here’s one big difference to help you decide how you are wired: […]

Big company vs small company. Where do I fit best?

22 Mar, 2017 in Career Design / Job Search Advice tagged Career / Engineers / jobs / Scientist by David

No, really. It’s true. Let me illustrate this with a story: Earlier this week I was at a local networking event. I was talking with a few guys I know about to startup one of them had launched. This guy was developing specialty cameras for precision measurement in a variety […]

Finding a job is like dating…

25 Feb, 2017 in Career Design / Job Search Advice / Networking Skills tagged Career / dating / finding a job / genuine networking / job search / jobs / networking by David

People often ask me why I enjoy working with students and early career professionals as much as I do. I tell them that it’s so unbelievably rewarding to share what I’ve learned with people who are just embarking on the amazing career path I’ve been walking for the last two […]

Five reasons why giving back is awesome

28 Jan, 2017 in Career Design / Job Search Advice / Networking Skills tagged Career / giving / networking by David

Here are five job types that I have found can be an excellent fit for a physicist: System engineer Reliability engineer Project manager Engineering manager Process development engineer That’s right, they all have either ‘Engineer’ or ‘Manager’ in the title. The fact is, few jobs in the private sector will […]

5 great industry jobs for a physicist:

28 Aug, 2016 in Career Design / Job Search Advice tagged Career / jobs / Physics Jobs / Scientist by David

Three types of jobs

29 May, 2016 in Career Design / Job Search Advice tagged Career / jobs by David

Jason Ensher is a Senior Optical Engineer at InPhase Technologies. He earned a B.S. in physics from the State University of New York at Buffalo. He earned his Ph.D. in physics from the University of Colorado at Boulder, where he worked with Dr. Eric Cornell, who won the 2001 Nobel […]

Jason Ensher, Senior Optical Engineer at InPhase Technologies

23 Apr, 2010 in Book Excerpts tagged Career / CU Boulder / Laser / Physicist by David

As I’ve been talking to people for this book, there are many common themes that are emerging. One very common theme has to do with what motivated people to move from academia into the private sector. Nearly everyone says that they wanted to make a tangible difference in the world […]

It’s about being able to shape the world…

20 Apr, 2010 in Career Design / Job Search Advice tagged Career / Scientists turned Engineers by David

I’m excited to be starting this 50 Interviews project. I’ll be talking to Scientists who have successfully followed a career path into industry, where their job description is perhaps closer to that of an engineer than a scientist. This topic has been an interest of mine since I was nearing […]

Getting Started…

19 Dec, 2009 in Archive tagged Career / Engineers / Industrial Physicist / Jobs Engineer / Physics / Science Careers / Scientist / Scientist Jobs by David

Career Advice for Scientists and Engineers in Industry