Career Development: The AAPS Vision in 2019

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A new year gives us the opportunity to reflect on where we stand in our career. Some of us may have achieved our goals, while others may have required a full realignment. Where we started prior to 2008 and where we ended in 2018 may not have been our long-term vision. As outlined in the January 2019 AAPS Newsmagazine article1 Ten Years Gone, but Not Forgotten: The Pharma Landscape after the Great Recession, human cost was the innocent casualty of a massive industry shift into a leaner and theoretically more efficient entity.” Not only were jobs lost, but in the attempt to transform the way an entire industry worked, so too were the means for companies to provide its employees with professional and career development. There is now a gaping hole for our colleagues for help growing their skillset toolbox. 

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In the absence of managers that help guide your future, the AAPS Career Development Committee is setting the stage at AAPS to serve the pharmaceutical industry in this capacity. We are developing a curriculum based on communication and collaboration as the core foundation to your success. To adapt to the ever-changing landscape of our industry, we must all develop key skills that enable you to look beyond the vertical leap to also consider the often-overlooked horizontal leap to advance your career. In the February 2016 Forbes article The Benefits of Horizontal Vs. Vertical Career Growth, the author makes a profound statement: “You might say that vertical career growth requires us to master other people, whereas horizontal career growth requires us to master ourselves.2

 

As a committee, we are committed to providing vehicles to help you gain necessary skills via webinars, ecourses, workshops, and on-site training to help you create value in yourself. Think about your career journey not as “climbing the ladder” but rather, as a lattice.2 A vertical path, while you can sometimes climb rapidly, does limit your career choices within a department or organization. However, a lattice allows you to move vertically, horizontally, and/or diagonally.3

Building Your Portfolio

What other career development topics pique your interest? What skills do you need to hone? Have you asked yourself, ”How do I get there?” Don’t pigeon-hole yourself into the idea that the path you started your career on (bench scientist, academic, etc.) is the same one you have to follow your entire career. Don’t think that without an advanced degree you can’t soar to the top of your field. The possibilities are endless. This is your opportunity to embrace your very own "Portfolio Career”—building the portfolio of who you are. Take control of your career destiny. The path to your Portfolio Career may not always be easy or smooth; it will require you to do the “self work” as demonstrated in the 5-point Career Development Model4 below:
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  • Self-Reflection: Are you doing something you really love to do? If not, reassess what interests you and be open to all available possibilities. Look up, sideways, and diagonally.

  • Self-Assessment: Do you have all the necessary skills to be doing what you really want to do?

  • Make a Personal Commitment: To change, to risk doing something new and different, to your own personal growth.

  • Develop a Road Map: Outline your future and how you are going to get there. Include measurable short-term and long-term goals. Consult your “Board of Directors,”5 identify the training you might need.

  • Take Action: Execute your Road Map.

Send Us Your Requirements

We want to hear from you. We want to know the key skills you need in your toolbox to help advance your career. It can be as simple as how to be a better public speaker or as involved as career coaching. The AAPS Career Development Committee is here to serve you.

We invite you to share your thoughts with us to build a tactical approach to your career. Please email us with your feedback.


REFERENCES


1 Buxton E. Ten Years Gone, but Not Forgotten: The Pharma Landscape after the Great Recession, AAPS Newsmagazine. 2019;22(1). Accessed January 30, 2019.
 2 Craig W. The Benefits of Horizontal Vs. Vertical Career Growth. Forbes. Published February 13, 2016.  Accessed January 30, 2019.
3 Redmond P. Ladder vs. Lattice: Why Horizontal Career Moves Can Help You Climb Higher, Faster. Forté Connect website. Accessed January 30, 2019.

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Career Success
March 2019