Resources

Websites for Career Exploration

NIH Office of Intramural Training and Education
This is a fantastic site that provides videos of its (many) career-, skills-, and survival-related workshops and provides as well carefully selected links to other related resources. OITE offers an annual NIH Career Symposium every spring that’s attended by hundreds of students and postdocs.
Science Careers
AAAS, through its Science Careers webpage – and especially the section ‘Career Articles’ – has provided for many years overviews of various types of careers that scientists pursue, and interviews with those who have chosen those careers.
Society for Neuroscience Career Tools and Resources
The Society for Neuroscience has taken the lead among scientific societies in providing information and advice on career paths and professional development in general. Resources include many detailed webinars.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook
The New York Academy of Sciences
To support individuals’ professional and career development, the Perelman School of Medicine will sponsor interested students, postdocs, faculty and staff for complimentary 1-year Membership to one of the oldest and most prestigious scientific organizations in the United States – the New York Academy of Sciences. Academy members will benefit from free/discounted access to cutting edge content, career readiness training, and networking/resume building opportunities.
BGS Alumni & Current Students LinkedIn

BGS Graduate Group or Training-Specific Career Exploration Venues

GLIA (Graduate-Led Initiatives and Activities; Neuroscience)
IgA (Graduate-Led Initiatives and Activities; Immunology)
Pharm4GOOD
All graduate groups actively recruit alumni pursuing diverse kinds of careers to provide talks year-round to their students.

Resources Provided by Penn’s Career Services

Annual Biomedical Career Fair
Virtual “Drop-Ins” with Penn Career Services
Various Workshops and Panel Sessions
Beyond the Professoriate – PhD Career Training Platform
One-on-One Advising
Ph.D./Postdoc Careers Page
Carpe Careers
Handshake
Job Postings on Listservs

Career Services has a well-organized set of career-related information for those in predoctoral training and provides, through this and especially one-on-one advising, a thorough, well-grounded approach to career exploration. Carpe Careers provides career advice via posts from PhD student/postdoc career advisors. Handshake is a student/employer engagement platform.

Certificate Program Options Organized for BGS Students

Listed above are the certificate programs formally endorsed by BGS. Other certificate programs exist within the Perelman School of Medicine and elsewhere within the University.

For example:

Also of note are the Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning and Innovation’s Certificate Program in Teaching and Wharton School’s Certificate Program in Business Foundations.

Students interested in a certificate program should review Policies Governing Participation of BGS Students in Certificate Programs. Authorization is required through the form Authorization to Participate in a Certificate Program. Both documents are available here: https://www.med.upenn.edu/bgs/cert-progs.html

Penn Center for Innovation Fellowships

Closely aligned with the concept of certificate programs is PCI’s Fellows program, which introduces students to emerging technologies and commercialization opportunities in science.

Teaching Skills

Almost all of the above-listed programs or opportunities are linked to substantive teaching activities. TAs are recruited for BGS’s BIOM courses, for example BIOM 6000 (Cell Biology and Biochemistry). BGS students also avail themselves of opportunities within the School of Arts and Sciences.

Courses for Additional Skills

Penn Courses: Individual courses throughout the University with permission

BGS students are permitted to take courses virtually anywhere within the University with permission from graduate group chairs and the BGS Director.

Extramural Activities Relevant to Career Exploration: Meetings, Externships, and Internships

Predoctoral training provided through BGS creates the opportunity for highly productive careers in science, technology, and medicine. A student’s decision as to what kind of career best fits them is ideally integrated with the process of training itself. Career-related meetings, externships (e.g., shadowing), and internships can be especially valuable in this regard.
- BGS Policy Governing Student Participation in Extramural Activities
- Career Internship Approval Form for BGS Students

Student-Organized Groups with Career-Development Activities

All of the above-listed groups have strong affiliations with BGS. There exist many other student groups at Penn that have career development activities (see https://osa.universitylife.upenn.edu/clubs/).

Individual Development Plans

These represent two different approaches to training and development through the medium of self-reflection and input. The BGS IDPs emphasize the link between training and professional development, and how the consideration of a career is an evolving process. MyIDP provides an algorithm to career decisions based on skills, interests, and values.