My family and I spend a fair amount of time on the highway, and perhaps the most prominent feature of highway routes is the abundance of billboards. I was struck recently by a recurring billboard message posing the question, “Is going to college still worth it?”
This concerns me, given the ever-increasingly complex and demanding world we live in. And of course, for our profession, the implied choice is not applicable. The rigorous, technical training our advanced degrees stand for uniquely qualify us for the careers in statistics or data science we seek, and employers will continue to regard these qualifications as the point of entry for job opportunities.
But the billboard suggests employers are also looking for something our education doesn’t teach, and that is certainly true.
I joined Eli Lilly and Company in 1998, having just completed a PhD in statistics. At the time, I had no practical experience as a statistician, but Lilly onboarded me, and over the course of 27 years, I had the benefit of much thoughtful coaching and mentoring. My time at Lilly was a continuous learning process, not only in the technicalities of clinical drug development, but also in the many rules of engagement governing corporate life. Most of these were unwritten, and revealed by experience—both good and bad, as felt in the moment. If you are new to industry, either fresh from school or transferring from another sector, it may help to focus on a few anchor points in this regard.
Know the business well. This is perhaps the most obvious imperative. Pharmaceutical R&D is a highly complex business, and most other industries would claim the same. No new entrant to such an enterprise could be expected to understand its deeper workings and connections immediately, but it’s important to make deliberate efforts to build that understanding from Day 1.
It’s not enough to fulfill the job expectations related to one’s particular role. One must understand the responsibilities of cross-functional partners, the many interdependencies among functions, and critical hand-offs. Complementing the development of this kind of scientific and operational breadth should be a parallel development of business acumen—understanding the enterprise strategy, how it works, how key decisions are made, and how it generates value. A corporate slogan that has stuck with me for a long time is “Think and act like an owner.” If you owned the company you work for, what would you want to know? And more concretely, how would you want someone in your current role to act?
Know the culture well. Take time to understand the culture of your organization, meaning all the declared and unstated rules, conventions, and customs that govern how things get done. What is the corporate tone? How are meetings run and decision made? What patterns do you observe among colleagues who have been with the company for years and have been successful? How are promotions awarded?
Now, your company culture doesn’t have to become your personal credo. You don’t have to agree with it, but you must be able to tolerate and accept it, even embrace it to a reasonable extent, at a fundamental level to be able to thrive and influence within it. If this presents a serious problem, the organization might not be a good fit. Effecting culture change is also possible but typically not without significant tenure; I would not recommend it as a realistic near to mid-term career goal.
Communicate for impact. Whereas the first two points focus on understanding the corporate ecosystem, excellence in communication is the most important requirement for interacting successfully with that ecosystem. It begins with setting your own agenda aside and listening, really listening and understanding, your counterpart’s position. Paradoxically, to persuade, influence, or advance your agenda, there is no way around first embracing the position of the other. This builds trust, without which you cannot hope for meaningful change. Once again, you don’t have to agree with the opposing position, but unless you understand its rationale from the perspective of the one you’re communicating with, you will not have a solid basis for moving forward.
For quantitative scientists, the art of explaining deeply technical concepts in lay terms is an added challenge. Continuous development of authentic cultural sensitivity when communicating in culturally diverse contexts is also critical. The central importance of mastering effective communication strategies cannot be overstated, and entire courses are dedicated to this topic. Whether you abhor or enjoy the challenges involved, everyone should invest in themselves to become better communicators.
Build your network. Networking continuously, both internally and externally, directly helps to build your career. Internally, this needn’t be a targeted effort—it should happen in a natural, organic way. Throughout time, you meet hundreds of people in your day-to-day interactions who have something relevant to share. Reflect on their experiences; come back to the ones with whom you want a deeper conversation.
Externally, companies will typically expect you to establish useful connections and/or bring back key learnings. We are on the brink of the 2026 Joint Statistical Meetings, thus an opportunity to do just that. For many of us, inserting ourselves into conversations with speakers or other professional leaders is not second nature. But keep in mind that this is your conference and you belong. Approaching it with the same inquisitive mind as at the workplace will make it a positive experience. If you are interested in connecting with specific individuals, consider contacting them even before the conference to arrange a time to meet. Most people react positively to genuine interest shown in their work.
Consider these tips as you navigate the corporate world and in conjunction with the unique qualities you offer. Consider also the profoundly social nature of the organization; we work in teams, achieve results together. We interact meaningfully on many levels every day. The allies you identify, your coaches, and the colleagues you trust and can learn from represent your core network.
All of this taken together—knowing the business and culture, communicating with impact, and investing in your network—describes the kind of professional maturity that underpins career success. It is not handed out with your degree as you leave graduate school. Awareness of these focal points and creating your own development plan based on them, however, can accelerate your path to success.
Andreas Sashegyi
Independent Consultant, AIS Consulting
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