CEO Says to Be a Decent Human + Take Risks

Name: Daria Chrobok

PhD: Plant Physiology, Umeå University, 2018

What was your main area of research?

I worked on the physiology of plants, one specific plant called Arabidopsis thaliana. My research was focused on the process of dying in plants and what happens on metabolic levels. There I specifically looked at Mitochondria and their role in this dying process.

What is your current job?

I am the CEO of my own company DC SciArt in Umeå, Sweden.

I am doing scientific illustrations and running my company, which includes everything from billing, client outreach, social media, bookkeeping etc. I am also developing new ideas & courses at the same time.

I love that I can add creativity & art to science and that I help people with it.

How did you find this position? What were the career steps you took to get to where you are now?

I created it myself.

PhD ➡️ Technical Editor at a journal while starting my company DC SciArt

Why did you decide to not pursue a career in academia?

It was an easy decision, because I did not fit into the academic system the way I am. I highly disliked the way academia works and did not see a future in it.

What advice do you have for someone getting their PhD and looking to pursue a career outside of academia?

Make sure you inform yourself well, talk to people, reach out & ask them how it is to work at the companies they work at, in their positions you are interested in. You will be surprised how much people are willing to share their experiences!

I was supported in my plans to leave academia & I would highly recommend you to only listen to those who support your plans. Anyone who wants to hold you back is not worthy to listen to, as they simply do not know what is best for you. So make sure you surround yourself with decent & supportive people!

My biggest advice is: Don't be too technical, don't focus on all the methods & hard skills you learned, people know that if you have done a PhD, you are more than qualified to learn anything you have to learn.

Focus on: Be a decent human being, show your amazingness when it comes to your soft skills, communication, empathy, care, curiosity, humility, honesty & be as transparent as possible and make clear you have healthy boundaries & do not want to be exploited either (many people let themselves be used in academia, not a good idea). People want to work together with decent people they get along well with. The rest can be learned, just make sure you show that you are a great person to have around & work together in a team.

If I have to put it bluntly: don't be a poop hole :)

How to connect with people: be active on professional platforms like LinkedIn. These days it's essential to create content so people find you, get to know you & might recruit you. And just connect to people, talk to them, interact with them, be a decent & curious person. Update your profile & if you decide to only post 1x per week, you are already considered to be in the 3% of content creators and therefore have the chance to be seen/found/interacted with more likely! Do not just be a passive consumer and scroller, be an active, engaging person & with that, give people the chance to get to know you!

Are there any components of your identity you would like to share, including how they have impacted your journey?

I am a very open & honest person & tend to listen to my intuition & gut feeling. I am also very true to myself and generally an open book. This has always benefitted me, because people these days put on a lot of fake masks. So the more "you" you can be, the better!

People connect to authenticity & honesty, and therefore will easily connect to you.

Also: Take risks! Small baby-risks if you are scared, but expand your comfort zones bit by bit, this will never harm you!

And: Invest in yourself! Buy the course, get the book, hire a jobcoach. We don't know everything and if you get yourself help with something you struggle, you will get to your aim faster. I have hired countless coaches, teachers, or mentors. The growth you experience having someone along your side who is where you want to be is insanely worthy!!