In 2023, I finished my Ph.D. in biomedical engineering with no job lined up and, honestly, no idea what to do next.
To this day, I’m not entirely sure what went through my mind when I decided to pursue a Ph.D. Maybe I wanted to delay entering the job market a little longer. Maybe it felt like the natural course after finishing a master’s, especially since many of my friends were doing the same.
It took me a while to realize the lab life wasn’t for me. I was working 12 to 14 hours a day, including weekends and holidays, trying to make a groundbreaking discovery without any real idea of what I was doing. By the time I defended my thesis, the only thing I knew for sure was that I couldn’t keep doing this.
I felt terrible about it because after so many years of hard work and studying, I didn’t want to continue down the path I had invested so much of my life in. I just didn’t know how difficult it would be to transition into something new.
I walked away from academia with no backup plan
When I decided to leave my field of study behind, I had to stop and think: What skills had I gained along the way that could be valuable in today’s job market, and what had actually brought me joy during those years?
I looked back at my time in academia and tried to find where I had shone. While many of my colleagues dreaded writing, I actually enjoyed it. I was always excited to sit down and draft papers, and I loved preparing and giving conference presentations.
That’s when it hit me: Maybe I could work in science communication. More specifically, science writing. I could write papers, reports, and presentations. I could help people who loved the lab work but didn’t have the time or patience to write and publish their findings.
There was just one problem. Scientific writing positions barely exist in Portugal, where I graduated. I would have to look abroad or find remote work.
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I threw myself into a brutal job market only to get ghosted or rejected
For six months, I consistently applied for scientific writing roles. I reshaped my CV to highlight my writing skills, attended free workshops and courses to improve my writing, and learned how to talk about myself as a writer.
I reached out to hundreds of people on LinkedIn asking for advice. A few replied with helpful messages, but most ignored me. Still, I kept going.
Despite all the effort, the rejection emails kept coming. Without a formal writing degree or certificate, I kept getting messages that started with, “We’re sorry to inform you.” I did land some interviews and was asked to complete several writing tests and presentations. Job searching felt like a full-time job, and I spent all day sending applications and completing assignments.
Money was running out, and so was my hope
Then, the inevitable happened. After months with no income and draining my tiny savings, I realized I only had enough money for two more months of expenses. It felt like time was running out.
I did everything I could to earn an income. I worked part-time jobs, from house cleaning to selling tickets at summer festivals. I tracked every expense in an Excel spreadsheet. I said no to vacations, weddings, dinners out, and anything that could drain my savings.
I started offering freelance editing and writing services, helping college students with their theses and reports. But the work was inconsistent, and some months, I didn’t land a single client. I even applied for receptionist jobs at hospitals and cashier positions at supermarkets. I got rejected from all of them, while my bank account dwindled.
I finally landed a job
Then, completely out of the blue, a recruiter reached out. I hadn’t landed the job I originally applied for at a hospital in the US, but she was hiring for a similar position in a different department and wanted me to interview. I was ecstatic. I interviewed with the hiring manager, completed the writing test, and then came the email that made my heart race: they wanted to hire me in the US. They were even covering my relocation costs, which was a relief because by that point, my bank account was nearly empty.
It was far from home, but it was exactly the job I had dreamed of. I packed my suitcases and moved to a new country, filled with relief that I had finally made it into the job market.
Being scrappy worked. Being resilient worked. Being persistent worked.
