Professionals Offer Advice to Their Younger Selves
Four Biotech Nexus panelists told MBP students what they would do differently if they were starting their careers over.
Kanika Changela (MBP '07) arrived at Northwestern Engineering's Master of Biotechnology Program thinking the program would be a precursor to a PhD. After all, her parents were both professors, and she figured she'd follow in their footsteps.
Instead, MBP introduced Changela to a variety of fields and opportunities she didn't realize existed. The breadth of her experiences in the program prepared her for her current role at Siemens Healthineers, where she is a quality systems manager.
Changela returned to campus earlier this year for Biotech Nexus, the program's annual discussion and networking event. During the panel discussion, which featured three other professionals from across the biotechnology industry, Changela was asked to think back to her early days on campus when she was just starting MBP. What did she wish she did differently? What advice would her present-day self tell her younger self?
Changela and each of the panelists took a turn with the questions — offering valuable advice to the current students attending the event in the process.
Kanika Changela (MBP '07)
Quality systems manager at Siemens Healthineers
"In terms of my experience in MBP, one thing I wish I had done earlier was really take advantage of the career resources, the different seminars, and opportunities that are presented both within MBP and also Northwestern as a whole. At first, it's a little scary to go to these events (because) you don't know what's going to happen, but I wish I had taken advantage of all these opportunities. They also give you an idea of what you like and what you don't like. There's a lot to offer."
Jeff Fairman
Vice president of research at Vaxcyte
"What I wish I knew back in the day was how important networking is. It is really important to talk to people. And have a great LinkedIn profile. LinkedIn is the first place I go if I have a job position open. From an entrepreneur perspective, you have to be really comfortable with failure. You have to be really comfortable with people telling you no. We had dozens of no's before we got our first Series A funding for Vaxcyte. You just have to keep going. You have to be determined that what you're doing is correct and be comfortable with people not believing in what you think your vision of the company is."
Marilene Pavan
Innovation manager at LanzaTech
"In my job, I have to deal with different technologies spanning different scientific areas, like synthetic biology, even engineering and non-scientific areas like intellectual property and business. At the beginning of my career, I was so focused on solving one specific problem and working by myself. I wish I had more opportunities to learn about other scientific areas, about other topics, and interact more with other people on this path. This gives you an opportunity to understand what you like and what you don't like. I love what I do today, but back 10, 20 years ago, I had no clue. I was so focused that I lost perspective on things that could give me more pleasure."
Michael Schultz
Director of venture operations at Portal Innovations
"Coming from a scientific technical background, most of us are probably natural introverts and naturally shy. At these networking events, everybody's here to meet people. It's going to feel awkward, but just push through it, because that network is what's going to move you through your career."
