We think that every UCSF postdoc should take one-two hours a month to invest in themselves and their own career and professional development. But life is busy, and when you're not sure what career path you want to pursue, or what experiences successfully position yourself for a particular career path, it can be easy just push your career to the back of your mind and focus on your next experiment or paper. 

In July 2019, we began tracking postdoc utilization of our programs and counseling appointments. Six months later, what we've found is that 27% of the 1,111 members of the UCSF community with an HR postdoc classification have utilized OCPD for their career and professional development. This includes 1:1 counseling appointments or attending a workshop. 1 in 4 is good, but we want to help more postdocs explore career options, develop training and career plans, engage in skill development, and grow their professional communities to position them for life after UCSF. 

So this year we'll be engaging in more outreach to postdocs, including intentional collaborations with the Office of Postdoctoral Scholars, the International Students and Scholar's Office, and RCOs. We'll be offering new programs on developing independence, exploring career options and fostering/managing professional relationships. We'll also be featuring more online resources and video appointments, for postdocs who can't make our workshops.  We're hoping that every postdoc invests in themselves with one-two hour each month of career and professional development.

What can you do to take charge of your career?

•  Assess if you're well positioned for an academic career
• Or, read about exploring careers
• Attend a career and professional development workshop 
• Do an informational interview or find mentor on UCSF Connect.
• Sign up to our listserv and be the first to know about career and professional development opportunities. 

Everything counts! And if you don't know where to start? That's okay too!

• Schedule an appointment for a private conversation with one of our PhD counselors