Preparing Doctoral Students for a BIG Career Path

摘要

One day my PhD student stated, "I don't think I want a job like yours. I don't want to teach. What do I do?" I replied with the typical suggestion that she should think about working at a national lab, but my answer lacked any further depth and specific actions. Like many university professors, I have spent my entire career in an academic setting. A long-time member of SIAM, I'm embarrassed to admit that I couldn't give my student a good description of how to become a nonacademic mathematician. That student pursued a career at a national lab, and she taught me a lesson about advising. Over the years, I've developed a mentoring style that considers the student's mathematical interests and goals as well as the student's career goals. This article describes some things I've learned about training and mentoring doctoral students who choose to pursue a career in business, industry, or government (BIG).