Name: Cyrielle Tonneau (she/her)
PhD: Biosciences (microbiology/human genetics), University of Exeter, 2019
What was your main area of research?
I researched host-pathogen-drug interactions in the context of antibiotic resistance. Specifically, I was studying, on one hand, the treatment efficacy of an existing combination of two antibiotics on MRSA infections, and on the other hand, how the host xenobiotic metabolism could affect this efficacy.
What is your current job?
I am a Technical Writer for Boast Capital in Canada. I work remotely.
As a Technical Writer at Boast (a fintech company), I write technical reports for multiple Canadian/US companies. These companies develop novel technological solutions in the engineering space (software, mechanical, biotech, etc.), and I am tasked to showcase their R&D efforts to the CRA/IRS so they can claim well-deserved government funds.
On a daily basis, I do a lot of research (to understand what I'm writing about!), writing, and editing.
I learn everyday, and I still feel part of the innovative space (indirectly, companies can keep running their R&D projects thanks to my reports!).
How did you find this position? What were the career steps you took to get to where you are now?
I found this through job alerts, such as "technical writer", on LinkedIn.
PhD graduate ➡️ Technical Writer in HVAC industry (I was writing/editing manuals for the users and installers of heat pumps) ➡️ Technical Writer in financial services (now)
Why did you decide to not pursue a career in academia?
First of all, I knew that PhD graduates rarely end up in academia, and I didn't like my odds. In addition, I felt that I would thrive better by producing tangible work (i.e., to be able to actually see the results of my efforts at the end of each week, instead of waiting 10 years for my research to help people). Finally, I just wanted a better work-life balance.
Consequently, the choice of transitioning out of academia was quite easy for me, even if I knew I would miss parts of my research life, like meeting talented researchers in conferences or meticulously working on the bench.
What advice do you have for someone getting their PhD and looking to pursue a career outside of academia?
Picture your dream job: The most important, in my opinion, is knowing precisely what you really want/don't want in your next everyday professional life. You might need to sit in front of a piece of paper for a day, and list what would make you happy/unhappy, to draw your dream job outside of academia. Would you prefer to be sat at a desk all day or do more physical work? Do you want to create and/or to be in contact with a lot of people? Can you see yourself working 9-to-5 or during the weekend? Do you want to have more free time (and/or more money!)?
This will help you figure out what you really want. After that, you can try to find out as much as possible about all of the potential careers for PhD graduates (there are a lot!!!), and see which fits your dream life requirements.
The skills you have acquired during your PhD are highly desirable outside of academia. We have developed a lot of transferable skills over the years, without even realizing it. We just need to know how to recognize them, and to learn how to articulate them differently, to showcase how they can be useful in a different context (example: after years culturing tiny, invisible microorganisms in the laboratory, I have an excellent attention to details).
Networking is key. Networking demands some sort of "courage" to contact strangers and efforts to regularly keep in touch with them, but really, it is worth it. You can start by contacting alumni from your university, especially those who have (or have had) a career that you desire. Ask them what their average day in the office is (and see if it still fits your dream life requirements!), and if they have any advice for you to create a similar path.