Industry Transition Spotlight: Asjad Ali, PhD, Agricultural Scientist
Industry Transition: An interview With Asjad Ali, PhD, Agricultural Scientist
1. What is your name, your full job title, and the name of the company you work for?
Asjad Ali, Plant Breeder/Agricultural Scientist, Department of Agriculture & Fisheries – AustraliaCompany: Sygnature Discovery
2. What is your favorite part about working in industry?
It’s a very good work-life balance as well as office-field activities balance with more independence in conducting experiments. My job requires me to go to the field station and work on plants to develop new hybrids and I really enjoy doing that.
3. What does a typical day at work look like for you?
These days Covid-19 has affected most of the routine activities; however, my day usually starts with smiles and greetings in the office. I see my “To-Do List” for the day, spend part of the day in the office, and the rest in the lab and/or in the field to perform experimental work.
4. How is your current industry position different than your academic postdoc or experience as a graduate student?
Research is not much different, but independence to design and conducting experiments is much better. Teamwork is an advantage here compared to my postdoc position. At least I have a clear path to move on in my career.
5. If you could go back in time, to before you received your job offer, and give yourself one piece of advice or encouragement, what would it be?
Never ever lose hope and continue modifying yourself with the industry trends. Believe me, there is light after every dark night.
6. What was the most important thing you did during your job search that enabled your success?
Identifying my future job/career, including the job title, and targeting the respective industry through all means of communication.
7. What is the most memorable moment for you (so far) as a Cheeky Scientist Associate?
The most memorable moment was to see so many PhDs with a common goal (industry focused jobs) in a platform where everyone supports each other without seeking personal gain.
8. What do you see as the next step in your career?
I am passionate to develop a new variety and play my role in food security. I hope in the near future I will be leading a team of my own.
9. How can the Association and the Association’s members help you continue to achieve your career goals?
I think the network is extraordinary. I would like to get better connected with fellow associates to share ideas/stories and learn from everyone. Especially participating from live Meetups, which enhance confidence in doing things and I’m missing this part so far. I hope to join some live meetups soon to enhance my confidence.
10. Now that you’ve spent some time working in industry, what is the biggest piece of advice you’d like to share with those Associates who are still executing their job search?
My experience-based advice to new fellows would be, don’t waste your time in Postdoc contracts, prepare yourself as early as possible for industry. Use the Cheeky platform to polish your ideas and strategies for your targeted job. Every company has a different culture, so explore it before your interview and always show enthusiasm.
Ready to make your own industry transition? The Cheeky Scientist Association is the world’s premier PhD-only industry job search training platform and PhD-only industry job referral network. When you become an Associate, you get access to our proven job search blueprint, which includes 200+ training videos, interviews with industry PhDs working in the most popular 100+ careers for PhDs, lifetime access to a private job referral network of 8,000+ PhDs, and much more.
You get instant feedback from our trainers 24/7 on any job search-related question so you can be 100% confident in your decisions about your job search and your overall career. To learn more about how to make your own industry transition, including instant access to our exclusive training videos, case studies, industry insider documents, transition plan, and private online network, get on the waitlist for the Cheeky Scientist Association.
