0:00:16.184,0:00:21.560
Who of you was born between[br]the 1980s and the early 2000s?

0:00:22.975,0:00:24.435
Right, most of us ...

0:00:24.803,0:00:27.523
So most of us here, including me,

0:00:27.563,0:00:31.684
are part of the generation of millennials,

0:00:32.644,0:00:34.804
or “generation Y.”

0:00:36.384,0:00:42.244
I suspect this “Y” stands for[br]“'Why' are we so misunderstood?”

0:00:44.313,0:00:45.913
(Laughter)

0:00:45.943,0:00:50.283
A stereotype about the millennials[br]is that we were told at an early age

0:00:50.313,0:00:53.063
that we could be whatever we wanted to be.

0:00:53.795,0:00:56.825
Contrary to our parents'[br]and grandparents' generations,

0:00:56.855,0:00:59.055
we millennials were privileged enough

0:00:59.085,0:01:02.375
not to have to struggle[br]with war, or recession,

0:01:02.405,0:01:05.445
or to have to emigrate[br]in order to find a job.

0:01:05.781,0:01:08.871
No, life was finally relatively stable,

0:01:08.901,0:01:11.921
so we were raised to be high achievers.

0:01:12.301,0:01:14.998
"The sky is the limit.

0:01:15.028,0:01:17.408
The world is your playground."

0:01:18.550,0:01:19.650
So,

0:01:20.213,0:01:24.133
by the time I was 17 years old,

0:01:24.163,0:01:26.481
I was finishing high school in Brazil,

0:01:26.501,0:01:28.441
my country of origin,

0:01:28.471,0:01:32.791
struggling with the question[br]many millennial teenagers struggled with:

0:01:34.390,0:01:37.440
“What do I want to do when I grow up?”

0:01:37.470,0:01:41.600
Knowing I would probably not be able[br]to answer that at such an early age,

0:01:41.630,0:01:46.740
I figured I’d settle for answering[br]a smaller question instead at that point:

0:01:48.369,0:01:51.869
“What do I want to study[br]at university next year?”

0:01:51.899,0:01:55.459
Then, once I’m at university,[br]I'll ask myself what I want to do next,

0:01:55.489,0:01:58.159
then do that again, step by step.

0:01:58.712,0:02:00.452
It sounded like a good plan.

0:02:00.704,0:02:02.994
And have you always known,[br]since you were little,

0:02:03.024,0:02:05.474
what you wanted to study at university?

0:02:05.504,0:02:07.454
If so, I envy you,

0:02:07.484,0:02:10.824
but my thought process was more like this:

0:02:11.654,0:02:14.340
OK, I like biology in school,

0:02:15.084,0:02:16.254
but to be honest,

0:02:16.284,0:02:19.844
I’ve got no interest[br]in studying plants or insects,

0:02:19.874,0:02:22.804
and I don’t really want[br]to become a medical doctor.

0:02:23.635,0:02:27.115
So I thought I’d start[br]a bachelor's in Biomedical Sciences,

0:02:27.145,0:02:29.125
to study human biology

0:02:29.155,0:02:30.825
That seemed to fit well.

0:02:32.007,0:02:33.757
And soon after I started,

0:02:33.787,0:02:37.842
I saw that my suspicion[br]from high school was true:

0:02:38.494,0:02:40.934
Science was awesome!

0:02:41.542,0:02:45.582
The human body works in ways[br]that seem out of this world!

0:02:45.952,0:02:51.912
It’s unbelievable how much goes on[br]inside one tiny cell in our body.

0:02:52.885,0:02:55.715
So I was really enjoying[br]the subjects in my bachelor’s,

0:02:55.745,0:02:57.505
and I was getting pretty good grades.

0:02:57.535,0:03:00.425
So I thought: "I must be doing[br]something right."

0:03:01.345,0:03:03.525
But there was still[br]something bothering me.

0:03:04.159,0:03:08.019
Now the time had come[br]to ask myself what I would do next.

0:03:08.049,0:03:13.039
But everyone who I asked what my options[br]were for after getting the degree

0:03:13.069,0:03:14.909
would tell me the same thing:

0:03:16.453,0:03:18.423
“There are no 'options.'

0:03:19.209,0:03:21.289
There is 'one' option:

0:03:21.702,0:03:24.862
After your bachelor’s, you do a master’s;

0:03:24.892,0:03:28.152
after your master’s, you do a PhD;

0:03:28.182,0:03:34.092
for the ultimate goal is to become[br]a university professor and researcher.”

0:03:36.622,0:03:40.582
Everyone would tell me that[br]because that’s all they knew.

0:03:41.296,0:03:44.068
But wait, what do you mean,[br]“there’s only one option”?

0:03:44.436,0:03:47.436
I’m a millennial; I was told[br]the sky is the limit.

0:03:48.517,0:03:50.987
Doing a master’s and a PhD[br]was OK with me.

0:03:51.017,0:03:53.537
I loved science and wanted[br]to get deeper into it

0:03:53.567,0:03:55.867
and keep doing[br]some cool things in the lab.

0:03:55.897,0:03:59.497
But the last part about becoming[br]a professor really concerned me

0:03:59.942,0:04:04.502
because back then I already knew[br]I didn’t want to do research forever.

0:04:05.963,0:04:08.443
So I did my master’s and my PhD,

0:04:08.473,0:04:09.843
still in love with science,

0:04:09.873,0:04:13.903
but always feeling like the black sheep[br]in my graduate program,

0:04:14.661,0:04:18.381
the one that doesn’t share[br]the dream of a professorship,

0:04:18.925,0:04:20.813
the odd one out.

0:04:21.606,0:04:24.256
And so I went on, at first mostly alone,

0:04:24.286,0:04:27.616
almost embarrassed, almost apologetic,

0:04:27.646,0:04:30.466
trying to find the answer[br]to my new question:

0:04:30.956,0:04:35.626
what kinds of jobs could I have[br]that don’t involve me doing experiments,

0:04:35.656,0:04:37.856
but are still related to science?

0:04:39.163,0:04:41.783
So I spent years doing my own research,

0:04:41.813,0:04:45.733
having my own little side project[br]in parallel to my thesis,

0:04:45.763,0:04:48.593
reading and talking to a lot of people.

0:04:48.623,0:04:51.263
I started coming across[br]more and more colleagues

0:04:51.293,0:04:54.123
who were looking for the answer[br]to the same question.

0:04:54.153,0:04:56.043
It turns out I wasn’t alone.

0:04:56.547,0:04:59.187
There were a few other[br]black sheep like me.

0:05:00.178,0:05:03.898
And I found that there are[br]so many kinds of jobs one could have

0:05:03.928,0:05:06.038
with a science or technology background.

0:05:06.068,0:05:08.013
you can work with business consulting,

0:05:08.033,0:05:10.338
project management, science journalism,

0:05:10.368,0:05:12.648
digital health and science technology,

0:05:12.678,0:05:14.688
editorial of a scientific journal,

0:05:14.718,0:05:15.688
public policy,

0:05:15.718,0:05:18.108
patent protection[br]and intellectual property,

0:05:18.138,0:05:19.138
public health;

0:05:19.168,0:05:21.638
entrepreneurship,[br]starting yourown company ...

0:05:22.028,0:05:23.732
Just to name a few.

0:05:24.785,0:05:29.375
I suddenly went from "worried[br]that there won’t be any options"

0:05:29.405,0:05:33.105
to "overwhelmed with all the[br]dozens of possibilities."

0:05:34.386,0:05:36.186
And I asked myself,

0:05:36.216,0:05:39.524
"Why is it that not all[br]graduate students know that?"

0:05:40.210,0:05:43.740
Why did it take me so long[br]to find out the truth?

0:05:45.224,0:05:50.804
And I realized that it's because[br]the academic world is a bubble.

0:05:52.186,0:05:54.726
Sometimes it feels like people[br]who are in that bubble

0:05:54.756,0:05:57.666
don’t have so much contact[br]with the outside world.

0:05:58.751,0:06:02.121
There’s little space for sunshine[br]or vacation in that bubble.

0:06:02.151,0:06:04.681
That’s why graduate students look so pale.

0:06:05.561,0:06:09.721
A diet based on instant noodles[br]and coffee doesn’t help either.

0:06:10.911,0:06:14.661
I know, because I lived[br]in that bubble for 10 years,

0:06:14.691,0:06:17.181
and I noticed that my lack of access

0:06:17.211,0:06:20.081
to information coming[br]from outside the bubble

0:06:20.111,0:06:23.022
was due to the academic culture.

0:06:25.509,0:06:28.809
One of the core aspects[br]of the academic culture

0:06:28.839,0:06:31.439
is that most people still believe

0:06:31.469,0:06:35.529
the main purpose of doing a PhD[br]is to become a university professor

0:06:35.559,0:06:36.739
and researcher.

0:06:36.769,0:06:42.099
Now, historically, this is true[br]this used to be the case in the past

0:06:42.129,0:06:45.069
it was like that in my[br]grandparents’ generation.

0:06:45.490,0:06:48.820
And it’s still true that if you want[br]to be a professor today,

0:06:48.850,0:06:50.780
you have to do a PhD.

0:06:51.096,0:06:52.586
And a post-doc.

0:06:53.390,0:06:55.130
And a second post-doc.

0:06:55.685,0:06:58.195
And sometimes a third one ...

0:06:58.437,0:07:03.067
But you don’t necessarily have to become[br]a lifelong academic researcher

0:07:03.097,0:07:05.497
just because you did a master’s and a PhD.

0:07:05.527,0:07:07.987
In fact, most PhDs -

0:07:08.017,0:07:11.427
90 to 99%, depending on the country -

0:07:11.457,0:07:15.428
end up elsewhere, outside academia,[br]after their studies.

0:07:15.850,0:07:19.880
So, becoming a professor is not[br]the "classical path" anymore.

0:07:19.910,0:07:22.857
It has become the "alternative path."

0:07:23.606,0:07:28.156
But even though doing something else[br]is the most common path,

0:07:28.186,0:07:32.596
there is still a culture of discouragement[br]if you want to leave academia,

0:07:32.626,0:07:36.776
which contributed to making me feel[br]like a black sheep during my studies.

0:07:38.031,0:07:42.911
I’ve heard academics call those[br]who leave the academic bubble four things.

0:07:44.781,0:07:46.461
"Time-waster."

0:07:47.217,0:07:48.757
They say by leaving academia

0:07:48.787,0:07:51.747
you’re throwing out of the window[br]all the time and effort

0:07:51.777,0:07:54.817
you put into learning[br]science all those years.

0:07:55.828,0:07:58.968
But pursuing a career[br]unrelated to academia

0:07:58.998,0:08:01.768
does not mean "unrelated to research."

0:08:03.279,0:08:06.739
You’re also called a "traitor."

0:08:08.333,0:08:09.993
My personal favorite.

0:08:10.907,0:08:14.437
"The University invested[br]so much money in training you,

0:08:14.467,0:08:17.667
and now you’re turning your back[br]on academic research."

0:08:18.566,0:08:21.926
I mean, we should be forever grateful[br]to our graduate programs,

0:08:21.956,0:08:26.546
but I don’t remember ever signing[br]a lifelong contract to stay in research.

0:08:28.624,0:08:33.434
You’re also called a "failed scientist."

0:08:34.251,0:08:35.571
Ouch.

0:08:36.564,0:08:39.314
Yeah, if you’re leaving[br]the academic bubble,

0:08:39.344,0:08:43.484
it must mean you were not[br]good enough to make it in it.

0:08:44.569,0:08:48.039
I’ve even heard a professor say,[br]almost mourning:

0:08:48.524,0:08:50.535
"I once had such a brilliant student

0:08:50.565,0:08:53.655
who later went to work[br]in the private sector ...

0:08:53.685,0:08:55.945
I don’t know where I went wrong."

0:08:57.205,0:09:01.255
Well, maybe that student left[br]because he or she wanted to?

0:09:01.285,0:09:03.201
Not because they had to?

0:09:04.731,0:09:07.281
And finally, you're called "greedy."

0:09:07.728,0:09:11.748
Yeah, because the industry[br]pays better than academia.

0:09:12.670,0:09:16.650
Well, actually the industry[br]pays reasonable salaries,

0:09:16.680,0:09:20.120
appropriate for highly[br]educated professionals.

0:09:20.150,0:09:22.673
It’s academia that underpays.

0:09:25.420,0:09:28.640
I personally don’t get it,[br]why academics get so defensive

0:09:28.670,0:09:31.640
about graduate students[br]leaving for non-academic jobs.

0:09:32.642,0:09:35.972
There are not enough jobs[br]in academia anyway!

0:09:36.435,0:09:40.595
The number of fresh PhDs has gone up[br]tremendously over the years,

0:09:40.625,0:09:44.625
while the number of new faculty positions[br]has stayed roughly the same.

0:09:44.655,0:09:48.612
The universities right now[br]just cannot accommodate that many PhDs

0:09:48.632,0:09:50.582
as permanent researchers.

0:09:51.731,0:09:53.221
So, you see,

0:09:53.251,0:09:55.326
if you want to leave academia,

0:09:55.356,0:10:00.022
you’re a greedy, failed,[br]time-wasting Judas.

0:10:01.382,0:10:03.922
But if you actually want to stay,

0:10:03.952,0:10:05.674
there’s no job for you!

0:10:08.012,0:10:12.162
To solve this academic paradox,[br]there are a few options.

0:10:12.891,0:10:17.771
One is to limit the amount of students[br]being admitted into graduate programs,

0:10:17.801,0:10:21.426
to try to control the number[br]of new PhDs getting a degree,

0:10:21.446,0:10:23.626
but I personally[br]don't really like the idea

0:10:23.656,0:10:26.416
of restricting access to education.

0:10:27.566,0:10:32.736
A second, obvious way is to create[br]more researcher positions,

0:10:32.766,0:10:36.101
hire more people as permanent scientists.

0:10:36.690,0:10:41.370
This would already help a lot,[br]but it wouldn’t be enough.

0:10:41.930,0:10:44.180
So, we really have to face the facts

0:10:44.210,0:10:47.080
and approach the issue[br]from a different angle.

0:10:49.108,0:10:53.278
Graduate programs have to start[br]preparing their students

0:10:53.308,0:10:56.798
for tasks they will actually[br]be doing in the future.

0:10:57.178,0:11:01.611
Companies want to hire PhDs[br]for their deep knowledge of science

0:11:01.641,0:11:05.111
and their ability to solve[br]problems and learn fast.

0:11:05.419,0:11:10.059
And students right now are being trained[br]to become excellent investigators,

0:11:10.089,0:11:11.603
which is great,

0:11:11.633,0:11:14.754
but if most of them will end up[br]working in the private sector,

0:11:14.784,0:11:19.024
they should also be trained[br]to become excellent administrators,

0:11:19.054,0:11:20.811
negotiators,

0:11:20.831,0:11:22.681
communicators,

0:11:22.711,0:11:24.099
leaders.

0:11:25.091,0:11:30.021
Graduate programs have to start teaching,[br]at least as an option,

0:11:30.051,0:11:32.361
courses on business concepts,

0:11:32.391,0:11:33.891
entrepreneurship,

0:11:33.921,0:11:36.711
project management, marketing, finance ...

0:11:37.388,0:11:43.208
It’s time we bring[br]a bit of the MBA into the PhD.

0:11:44.524,0:11:45.604
On top of that,

0:11:45.634,0:11:50.244
graduate students also need to receive[br]more career support and guidance.

0:11:50.274,0:11:52.026
Many of them are not even aware[br]

0:11:52.046,0:11:55.226
that their chances of getting[br]a professorship are minimal.

0:11:55.815,0:11:58.085
Right from the start of their programs,

0:11:58.115,0:12:02.095
they must be constantly[br]exposed to, not hidden from,

0:12:02.125,0:12:05.078
all their possibilities[br]beyond the academic bubble,

0:12:05.098,0:12:09.798
so they can make an informed[br]career decision and prepare for it,

0:12:09.828,0:12:12.648
and not just take anything[br]that comes their way.

0:12:13.289,0:12:16.219
So they really only go on[br]to do a post-doc

0:12:16.249,0:12:18.989
if they actively decided for it,

0:12:19.019,0:12:21.069
not because they didn’t know[br]what else to do

0:12:21.099,0:12:23.159
and turned on the autopilot mode.

0:12:26.010,0:12:30.960
And students should also be more active[br]in getting career information.

0:12:30.985,0:12:33.075
I know it’s hard ...

0:12:33.105,0:12:36.502
We don’t have time for anything[br]other than our theses,

0:12:36.532,0:12:37.534
and most of the time

0:12:37.554,0:12:41.215
we just prefer to avoid[br]thinking about the future altogether.

0:12:42.087,0:12:43.727
But, you know,

0:12:43.763,0:12:45.583
it will come anyway.

0:12:46.193,0:12:49.303
Your university education[br]is not your whole career;

0:12:49.333,0:12:51.313
it is your background.

0:12:51.585,0:12:55.555
No bachelor’s, master’s[br]or PhD lasts forever,

0:12:55.985,0:12:58.933
even though it might feel like it[br]most of the time.

0:12:59.815,0:13:02.285
They are all temporary positions,

0:13:02.315,0:13:05.586
and we’ll soon have to figure[br]out our next move.

0:13:05.616,0:13:07.236
And you don’t have to do it alone.

0:13:07.266,0:13:10.526
You can team up with colleagues[br]who are in the same boat.

0:13:10.556,0:13:14.459
That’s how we’ve established[br]the Career Development Initiative,

0:13:14.489,0:13:16.819
the CDI, here in Berlin,

0:13:16.849,0:13:20.179
which is entirely organized[br]by students, alumni

0:13:20.209,0:13:24.079
and one professor who acknowledges[br]the need for a culture change.

0:13:24.109,0:13:26.439
They are still rare, but they exist.

0:13:26.980,0:13:30.600
Together, we use the time[br]none of us have -

0:13:30.630,0:13:32.310
evenings, weekends -

0:13:32.340,0:13:36.600
to put together events,[br]training programs and internships

0:13:36.630,0:13:40.880
to help students find jobs[br]where they feel fulfilled and recognized,

0:13:40.910,0:13:42.960
inside or outside the bubble.

0:13:43.378,0:13:45.298
I’m happy to share with current students

0:13:45.328,0:13:48.528
what I’ve learned[br]about career options after a PhD,

0:13:48.558,0:13:51.198
so they don’t feel[br]like black sheep themselves.

0:13:54.360,0:13:56.750
For all of this to work,

0:13:56.780,0:14:00.340
for graduate students[br]to get more information and training

0:14:00.370,0:14:04.420
to become prepared[br]for a transition into the job market,

0:14:04.450,0:14:08.850
the professors who supervise them[br]need to support them.

0:14:08.880,0:14:12.082
If you're a professor[br]and can’t be a career mentor yourself -

0:14:12.102,0:14:15.562
because, after all,[br]you’re also in the bubble -

0:14:16.157,0:14:20.517
at least do not discourage[br]your students from doing this.

0:14:20.547,0:14:24.441
Let them take part in courses[br]and extracurricular activities

0:14:24.471,0:14:27.691
even if they're not[br]directly related to research.

0:14:28.233,0:14:32.423
It most likely won’t interfere[br]with the quality of their theses,

0:14:32.453,0:14:35.523
and it might make a huge[br]difference for their future.

0:14:36.413,0:14:40.633
Let’s keep in mind that most graduates[br]will leave for non-academic jobs

0:14:40.663,0:14:43.693
and that it is not a sign of failure.

0:14:46.351,0:14:50.391
And I know that if you’re not[br]in the academic bubble yourself,

0:14:50.421,0:14:51.971
you might be thinking:

0:14:52.907,0:14:56.427
“OK, so life for graduate[br]students is hard.

0:14:56.457,0:14:58.047
Cry me a river."

0:14:59.173,0:15:02.063
“It was their own choice[br]to go down that road.”

0:15:02.580,0:15:05.140
“I’m a lawyer, why should I care?”

0:15:06.171,0:15:08.301
I’ll tell you why you should care.

0:15:09.261,0:15:14.301
Most of innovation,[br]of ideas that improve society -

0:15:14.331,0:15:16.671
be they cures for diseases,

0:15:16.701,0:15:18.661
or solutions for world hunger,

0:15:18.691,0:15:20.551
or the latest technologies -

0:15:20.581,0:15:23.131
are born in universities.

0:15:23.653,0:15:27.623
And most of the people working on this[br]are graduate students.

0:15:28.161,0:15:31.731
Sure, professors manage[br]and supervise everything,

0:15:31.761,0:15:36.721
but the everyday,[br]hands-on, "dirty work"

0:15:36.751,0:15:38.901
is done by the students.

0:15:39.542,0:15:42.792
If research is like[br]constructing a skyscraper,

0:15:42.822,0:15:45.692
they are the thousands of bricklayers.

0:15:46.220,0:15:48.910
If it’s a war, they are the army.

0:15:49.782,0:15:51.982
If it’s Game of Thrones,

0:15:52.018,0:15:53.838
they are the white walkers.

0:15:54.784,0:15:56.759
They even look just as pale.

0:15:56.789,0:15:58.209
(Laughter)

0:15:58.239,0:16:03.409
The progress of science and innovation[br]depends on graduate students.

0:16:05.072,0:16:07.012
So let’s take care of them,

0:16:07.452,0:16:11.622
value them and give them[br]career guidance and mental support.

0:16:12.079,0:16:15.669
Let’s encourage them[br]to be the best version of themselves.

0:16:16.382,0:16:17.762
Science is amazing,

0:16:17.792,0:16:22.622
and it can do so much for our lives[br]if done out of passion and not pressure.

0:16:24.230,0:16:27.150
We need a change in the academic culture.

0:16:27.180,0:16:29.610
First of all, let’s stop thinking:

0:16:29.640,0:16:31.090
"Hmm ... Things are not great,

0:16:31.120,0:16:33.930
but that’s just how it is[br]and has always been."

0:16:34.320,0:16:36.960
No, after we leave here today,

0:16:36.990,0:16:40.460
let’s not again reproduce[br]the century-old speech

0:16:40.490,0:16:44.310
that a PhD is a one-way ticket[br]to "Professorland,"

0:16:44.340,0:16:46.350
and let’s start opening our eyes

0:16:46.380,0:16:49.730
to all the things a millennial[br]with a degree can do -

0:16:50.370,0:16:52.960
if he or she ever gets off that phone.

0:16:55.639,0:17:00.119
Academics should start reaching out more[br]to people outside the bubble

0:17:00.149,0:17:02.649
and be supportive of their colleagues.

0:17:03.358,0:17:06.408
Graduate programs have[br]to listen more to their students

0:17:06.438,0:17:08.638
and adapt to their needs.

0:17:09.567,0:17:13.697
Let’s burst that bubble and bring[br]academia to the twenty-first century.

0:17:16.106,0:17:17.126
Most of all,

0:17:17.156,0:17:20.236
it’s essential that we become[br]aware of these issues

0:17:20.266,0:17:22.846
and talk about them,[br]like we’re doing here.

0:17:23.608,0:17:27.308
Let’s keep a critical eye[br]on the system we live in,

0:17:27.338,0:17:30.338
and yes, change it,[br]if it needs improvement.

0:17:31.636,0:17:33.106
After all ...

0:17:34.089,0:17:36.829
that’s what university taught us to do.

0:17:38.954,0:17:40.354
(Applause)