Alternatives to Medical School Nonclinical Options661

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Career Ideas for

Science, Technology and Society Majors

The following are career areas you may want to explore. Each category includes information on

the types of positions available, positions recent Penn graduates have obtained, and Career

Services library resources to help you identify potential employers. Be sure to check the CareerServices homepage at www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices for information and useful job-

hunting links. Some areas you may want to consider include:

ConsultingScienceCommunications

Public Interest /Policy

Energy/EnvironmentConsulting

Market ResearchPharmaceutical /Biotech

Research Law

Insurance Public Health Education Technology

Healthcare ConsultingHealthcare organizations (hospitals, drug companies, and labs) may bring in an outside

organization to help them solve problems. Consultants address issues such as marketing plans,internal organization, quality assessment, or finance. The typical research associate or analyst

collects data (from database and interviews), then analyzes and presents results or

recommendations. A healthcare background and good analytical skills are useful. This is abooming field given the rapid changes in health care today.

Positions taken by recent CAS graduates include: Advisory Board, Research Associate

Andersen Consulting (Accenture), Strategy Group

PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Associate

Lewin Group, Research Assistant Health Strategy Group, Research/Marketing Assistant

Towers Perrin, Health and Welfare Associate

William Mercer, Health Care Consultant

Science Communications and Publishing This area has several components. Some public relations firms offer communication servicessolely to the health care industry. Their products include press packages, corporate brochures and

videos, patient education materials, and special events planning. Other firms provide science

information services such as databases, indexing, and abstracting. Also in this category are


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publishers of medical and scientific textbooks. This is a great area for people with both science and

English/communication backgrounds.

Recent jobs taken by CAS graduates: ABC News, Medical Researcher

American Health Consultants, Production Editor Bridge Information Systems, Statistics Reporter

BIOSIS (Scientific Abstracts), Abstractor

Institute for Scientific Information, Chemical Information Specialist Mercel Dekker, Inc., Assistant to Medical Acquisitions Editor

Cornell Medical School, Publishing Planning Assistant

Beckman Instruments, Technical Writer

Technology

Opportunities in the technology industry include business analysis, systems analysis, research,

information systems, data analysis, and marketing.

Recent jobs taken by CAS graduates:

Dell Computer Corporation, CSP Network Tech Specialist

Fact Set Data Systems, Consultant

Radiology Affiliates Imaging, Assistant IT Director

Syngy, Associate Business Analyst

Northrop Grumman, Technical Analyst

Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia Programmer Kenexa Technology, Business Development Research

Microsoft, Software Design Engineer Trainee

CGI, Business Analyst Information Dynamics, Market Research Analyst

Nanophase Technologies Corp, Marketing Associate

Pharmaceutical, Biotech, and Medical Device CompaniesAlways a good source of research positions, consider these companies for business jobs as well.Sales is a common entry point. These jobs entail a significant education component, as the sales

force is now a primary source of information on drugs and devices for clinicians. Other positions

include public relations, technical writing, and business analyst.

Positions taken by recent CAS graduates include: Absorption Systems, Analytical Chemist

Covance Inc., Research Assistant


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EducationScience teachers are in high demand in many schools. Non-certified graduates can teach in

independent schools, as well as some public schools with alternative certification programs

(such as Philadelphia and New York City). Programs such as Teach for America, Teaching

Residency Project, and Teaching Fellows Programs provide structured one - two yearteaching programs for those without certification. The Peace Corps and many other

programs offer international volunteer teaching assignments.

Positions taken by recent CAS graduates include: Cathedral High School, Chemistry Teacher

DC Math Science Tech, Charter HS Teacher Hun School of Princeton, Chemistry Teacher

Teach for America, Teacher Philadelphia School District, Science Teacher

Bullis School, Technology Coordinator

Career Serviceswww.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservicesUniversity of PennsylvaniaSuite 20, McNeil Building,3718 Locust WalkPhiladelphia, PA 19104-6209Updated: 10/2006


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CAREER EXPLORATION

How Do I Find out What Systems Analysts, Lawyers or Public Policy People Actually do?

After gathering information about yourself, you can begin exploring majors and career options - just what is

out there? At this point in the career planning process, you should not be too worried about making a

decision; instead, you should simply be increasing your knowledge of various academic disciplines and

careers. There are a number of methods for researching your options:

Utilize resources in the Career Services library. A number of books, periodicals, and newsletters are

available to help you explore careers, including those occupations requiring graduate and professional

degrees. You can usually find an overview of a profession, typical activities performed, qualifications

required, job outlook for the future and salary potential. Corporate literature also frequently contains

profiles of career opportunities within specific organizations and fields. Review actual job descriptions and

employer literature to get even more concrete information about potential career options and "what people

do all day."

Explore online. The World Wide Web is a vast source of information that should be tapped when

researching careers. On your own, utilize a search engine to perform keyword searches, using job titles and

industry names to cultivate information.

Occupational Outlook Handbook (http://www.bls.gov/oco/) - The US Department of Labor Statisticscompiles this extensive guide to careers, which contains profiles, training and education requirements,

salary potential, and job outlook for the future.

O-NET Online (http://online.onetcenter.org) Allows for quick occupational searches by keyword, jobcategory, or knowledge/skills/abilities.

Vault - A resource with comprehensive set of career guides, industry and company profiles andinterviewing guides. Especially relevant to those interested in careers in business. Many Vault books

are available at the Career Services library. Penn students can also access Vaults online library at:

http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/VaultPennKey.html

Wetfeet - Another excellent website for exploring business careers and other related fields, offeringprofiles on careers, industries and companies. Many Wetfeet books are available at the Career Services

library. Penn students can access Wetfeets online library via Career Services website at:

http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/library/. (Click on the Online Subscriptions link to access the

login and password.)

Career Services Career Exploration Pages:

CAS: http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/college/resourcesbyfield.html

Engineering: http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/seas/majorindustryspecific.html

Nursing:http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/nursing/resources.html

Wharton: http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/wharton/careerexploration.html General:http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/discovery/

Computer-assisted career guidance. SIGI 3, a computer-assisted career guidance program, can help you

examine your work-related values and skills in an interactive and structured manner. Once you answer

some questions about your values and preferences as they relate to various work activities and settings, you

can ask the program to search its built-in library and find those careers that most closely match your

preferences. If you prefer, you can go directly to the Information module of SIGI and simply read profiles

of careers that are of interest to you. Students can access SIGI 3 via the following website:
http://www.bls.gov/oco/http://online.onetcenter.org/http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/VaultPennKey.htmlhttp://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/VaultPennKey.htmlhttp://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/library/http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/college/resourcesbyfield.htmlhttp://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/college/resourcesbyfield.htmlhttp://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/seas/majorindustryspecific.htmlhttp://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/seas/majorindustryspecific.htmlhttp://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/nursing/resources.htmlhttp://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/nursing/resources.htmlhttp://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/wharton/careerexploration.htmlhttp://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/wharton/careerexploration.htmlhttp://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/discovery/http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/discovery/http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/discovery/http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/wharton/careerexploration.htmlhttp://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/nursing/resources.htmlhttp://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/seas/majorindustryspecific.htmlhttp://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/college/resourcesbyfield.htmlhttp://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/library/http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/VaultPennKey.htmlhttp://online.onetcenter.org/http://www.bls.gov/oco/


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http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/discovery/. Click on SIGI 3 halfway down the page and you will

be taken to a page that will provide information about how to login.

Talk to people about what they do. Once you have identified an occupation that sounds interesting,

talking with people who already work in that field can be tremendously informative. They can provide

special insight into the rewards and rigors of a particular occupation, as well as tell you specific information

about their organization. People with the same job title, in the same type of industry, might perform verydifferent functions (e.g., consulting with Accenture might be quite different than with Bain & Company).

Start with friends, family and faculty. Expand your network to include alumni and employers who recruitregularly on campus. Use the Penn Alumni Career Network

(http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/pacnet/), to identify alumni in a variety of industries and

occupations to speak with. See the section on Information Interviewing for strategies and guidelines for

contacting people for career information.

Volunteer or pursue work experiences. A valuable way to research careers is by getting involved in them

early. Volunteering, working part-time, conducting research with a professor, or securing an internship are

all great ways to gain a deeper appreciation of day to day life in a particular field or industry. Practical

experiences help you evaluate and "reality test" your choices. Lots of internship opportunities can be found

on PennLink and iNet. (Create an account and log-in on the Career Services website:http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices).

Consult with a career counselor. Exploring career options and examining your potential level of

satisfaction with them requires you to manage a lot of information. Consulting with a career counselor is a

good way to develop strategies for managing your research and to learn about ways to research your career

interests more productively.

Utilize as many different resources and gather as much information as possible. Use what you have learned

about yourself to rule out the obvious choices that are not for you. This is time consuming and, at times,

overwhelming, but the investment you make in gathering good information often aids good decision

making.
http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/discovery/http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerserviceshttp://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerserviceshttp://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/discovery/

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