After beginning her career as a physics major at Smith College, Resha Putzrath today is a self-employed consultant in toxicology and risk assessment. She reached her present position not by turning her back on physics, but by paying careful attention to her skills and preferences.
"In college," recalls Dr. Putzrath, "I imagined a career in high-energy physics. But I learned that career opportunities in high-energy physics were limited, and I realized that I was likely to be a junior member of a big team for a long time. That didn't suit me temperamentally."
Instead, she took advantage of each opportunity in her career path. Smith College acquired its first computer during her freshman year, allowing her to build early computing and mathematical skills. She made the most of summer jobs in biomedical laboratories. When it came time to plan graduate work, she saw that she could apply her love of mathematical physics to biologic systems. That led to a PhD in biophysics at the University of Rochester.
After her doctorate, she moved even farther from physics. An interest in membrane biology led her to postdoctoral study at Harvard Medical School. She then moved to the Harvard School of Public Health for a second postdoctoral appointment in toxicology and regulatory policy, where she discovered her current field.
Dr. Putzrath suggests to students that where they begin their career is not crucial—as long as they begin in earnest. "You must get very good training in something , or no one's interested in employing you for anything . But stay open to new opportunities. Today, it's very unlikely that you will have just one career."
She does caution against moving into self-employment too early. This is a step most easily taken when you have not only solid experience but also financial stability.
One way to broaden your abilities, increase your contacts, and reduce the isolation of working on your own is to form a cooperative association with other consultants. That allows you to share both work and information resources, which can be exchanged electronically even if your group members do not live in the same area.
