Observations About Taking Control of Your Career Path

Heather Kopetskie is a senior biostatistician at Rho with experience in statistical planning, analysis, and reporting for clinical trials. She also serves as Rho’s biostatistics operational service leader, an internal expert sharing biostatistical industry trends, best practices, processes, and training. She holds an MS in biostatistics from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

As a graduate research assistant in college, I knew exactly where I wanted my career to go. It was a vertical straight line to becoming a senior biostatistician. More than 10 years into my career, I’ve now become a senior biostatistician, but I’ve also done so much more than I ever could have imagined when I was a graduate research assistant.

Some of the new responsibilities I’ve taken on have been frightening, some I was sure I was going to fail at, and a few just seemed like fun. The one thing that was consistent throughout all my decisions was I thought I had control over the choices I made to shape the career I wanted, and the career I desired changed over time—and still changes now. In fact, I don’t know where I want to be 10 years down the road; currently, I’m just enjoying the journey and making decisions as they come—and I’m perfectly comfortable with that plan, or lack thereof.

Below are seven observations from successful statistical colleagues and me to think about as you maneuver the career growth ladder.

Find a great mentor.

I want to stress the word “great” here because a good mentor isn’t enough. If you can’t find a single great mentor, then recruit more than one person. There is no rule saying this has to be a single person, or even someone within your company (don’t forget alumni resources and conference connections). What makes a great mentor? Someone who is going to fight for the opportunities you want, provide guidance and advice, help develop your leadership skills, and offer you new opportunities. When you meet with your mentor, make sure to discuss your goals as they may be different from the goals they think you should have.

Know your company/industry promotion requirements.

It’s a lot easier to earn your next promotion when you know what you need to accomplish to be recognized. If you don’t know what your company requirements are for promotion, talk to your mentor or someone in human resources. If they can’t give you a clear answer, look at a job description of the next position you want. If you don’t plan on staying with your company, make sure to look at several job descriptions for different companies as the skill sets may vary depending on each organization’s expectations and values. Take these to your mentor or boss and ask for new opportunities to build the skill set required for the promotion you seek.

Be empowered.

What is empowerment? Broadly, it’s speaking up to ask for what you want, speaking up when you disagree, and taking initiative to do something that needs to be done. I like to think of it as being confident taking action. Why is this important? If you say yes to everything, you will be overcommitted and won’t be able to excel at anything. You need to shine to get that promotion. When you are asked to do something, don’t respond immediately. Take a moment and think about how it could influence your career. The work may not be exciting, but it could help accelerate your career. If a new responsibility is going to spread you too thin, you may want to say no. Saying no is difficult at first, but it gets easier over time. And if you explain why your answer is no, people will usually respect your decision. If you are told—instead of asked—to work on a project, you can still have a discussion about why you think the work may not be a good fit. You may still need to perform the task, but your voice will have been heard.

Step out of your comfort zone.

This is one you probably see a lot, but for good reason. If we stay in our bubble of comfort, we can’t grow. If we don’t grow, we can’t get to the next level in our career. Don’t be afraid to say yes to new opportunities. More importantly, speak up, volunteer, or talk to your mentor when you want to do new things outside your comfort zone. If you don’t speak up, no one is going to know you want the opportunity.

Know your strengths.

Know what your strengths are and what your company values. Then figure out how to leverage your strengths to maximize their effect on your organization. Our company uses the book StrengthsFinder 2.0 by Tom Rath to help employees identify strengths. This was a great resource for me, as it highlighted what my strengths were, what my weaknesses were, and what my colleagues’ strengths were so I could best interact with them.

I will offer one example here, as I think leveraging your strengths is difficult to understand. My company values innovation. This is not one of my strengths. I like to develop close relationships, achieve goals, create routine and structure, and determine how to arrange tasks for productivity. There is nothing in there about innovation. Yet, if you ask my colleagues, they will probably say I’m innovative. This is because I’ve figured out who in my company is innovative and I’ve collaborated with them. They come up with the idea and I can run with executing it, because that’s where my strengths lie. It ends up being a win for both of us. I just had to figure out how to align my strengths with my company’s values.

Continue learning.

Learning doesn’t stop when you graduate from college. You need to keep up with new skills in your field to make sure you are still a desirable employee in the industry. Find something that interests you and is a valuable knowledge area for your company and industry. The goal is to become recognized as a subject matter expert in this field so your colleagues start coming to you with their questions. This makes you valuable within your company, as well as marketable to others.

Celebrate your victories.

It’s a long career, and it’s too easy to get stuck in the day-to-day grind and get worn out. Take a moment to celebrate your accomplishments, even the really small deliverables/victories. Celebrating breaks it all up and lets you feel rejuvenated for the next big task you tackle. Also, remember to pass on accomplishments to your boss as they may be too busy to notice, but they likely have an influence on how your career progresses within the company.

That concludes my seven observations for taking control of your career. I wish I had more room to share my experiences, but it’s better to hear examples from individuals in your own industry. When you meet individuals in your company, ask them about hard decisions they had to make regarding their career path. Ask them how they’ve leveraged their strengths within the company. You’ll learn more from that personal interaction, which could lead to a relationship with a new mentor. Good luck, and remember it’s a long journey, so don’t get discouraged. If it’s not always going how you want, refocus your efforts and try again.