Exciting new career path for Iowa State alumna

Rochelle Dotas, who earned a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Iowa State in May, recently started her ideal job- and it’s one she previously hadn’t considered.

Dotas

In June, Dotas joined Thermo Fisher Scientific as a Life Science Specialist. She works with a sales team to provide life-science-related expertise.

“I get to be in the lab working with customers, with doctors, with PIs, and with students, and I get to work with sales reps and train them on products. I give them the tools they need to perform,” she said. “[The position] was a good combination of what I loved about grad school, and I realized this is the perfect job for me.”

Early in her time at Iowa State, Dotas had not realized that her new position was an option. But as she neared the completion of her doctoral studies, she made the decision to pursue a career in industry. After that, she focused on researching potential jobs and networking.

She began to consider pursuing a career in sales while at a conference. After striking up a conversation with sales representatives who were also attending the conference, they recommended that she consider jobs in sales. She then discussed it with her major professor, who also said she would be a good fit for a sales job. Finally, she connected with a representative from Thermo Fisher Scientific, whom she had previously met when he came by her lab at Iowa State.

“He said, ‘I knew right away you’d be good in sales,’” Dotas said. “So every step of the way, I got confirmation that this would be a good career path for me. It’s crazy how it’s a snowball effect with connections.”

Dotas applied for a position at Thermo Fisher Scientific and began the interviewing process around the same time she was defending her dissertation. She completed five 30-minute interviews and received an official offer after graduating from Iowa State.

“Being able to communicate science to a wide variety of people is something I picked up in grad school,” she said. “I was a teaching assistant, which means I can communicate with a wide variety of students from different backgrounds, who all need a different type of help and need to be communicated with differently.”

Due to COVID-19, Dotas has been working remotely, though her job will continue to be largely remote under normal circumstances because Thermo Fisher Scientific serves clients in many locations. While applying for jobs and starting a new position in the midst of a pandemic has not been without its challenges, she believes graduate students can still be proactive in searching for jobs and finding a great fit.

“It really is all about networking. Any connection that you can have, people are much more willing to share their advice and help than you think they are. Reach out to past labmates. Ask people to tell you about their job,” she said. “And start your résumé and CV early, because they’re two different things. Build your network early. Use all the resources you can use. You’ve got to put yourself out there. No one is going to do it for you.”