This blog is part of the Research Software Camp: Careers and Skills in Research Software series.
Research Software Engineers (RSEs) sit at the intersection of cutting-edge research and high-quality software development. Despite their critical role in advancing research, the career path of an RSE is often unclear, varied, or undervalued. Here are 5 steps to help you explore what’s next in your career.
1 – Identify what you love about your job as a Research Software Engineer
“Well, that’s easy, right? I love coding”. Maybe, but trying to think a little deeper about your own self-awareness can be helpful as a starting point to career planning. Consider your strengths, skills, motivations, and values about work:
Start by making a list of all the activities, tasks, and skills involved in your job:
· What brings you joy?
· When do you “lose yourself” in your work? When does time fly?
· What gets crossed off your to do list first?
· What is important to you about the organisation you work for?
Action idea:
Keep a journal of all the activities you complete for a week; reflecting on this can be very insightful. Yes, you probably love coding, but what about collaborating, training, and working with researchers?
2 – Think broadly about opportunities (and be curious about exploring)
“There is no way for me to progress in my current role”. This is something I hear Technical Professionals say all the time, and it’s easy to understand why if you only consider opportunities in your current team.
Try to look more broadly at what career development means to you. This will be different for everyone - but it is rarely just about salary and grade. Is there a way that you could do more of what you love in your current role? Could you take on a different responsibility at an institutional level, undertake a training course, or get involved with a committee, professional society, or community? What opportunities could there be for someone with your skillset in your current team or in other teams within the institution? Which aspects of your skillset would you like to develop? Could you change department, institution, or even industry? Or is there something completely different that you have always wondered whether you could try?
Action idea:
Create a mind map (or list) of all the different things you could do. Then circle the ones you would like to find out more about and think about how you could do this. You could also consider referring to community developed competency frameworks or similar to develop your understanding of the field that you work in and the different areas involved – for example, Direct Frameowrk.
3 – Understand the marketplace for your skillset
When we feel at a career crossroads, it is human nature to log on to jobs boards and see what’s out there. Of course, you should absolutely do this. However, I also encourage Technical Professionals to be curious about settings where they could work and think more proactively about where they see themselves in the future.
You will need to consider your own mobility, of course, but think about opportunities within Higher Education, Research Institutes, other public sector and not for profit organisations as well as industry. Think about the organsiation and setting rather than just the job – then find out what opportunities they have and how you might find out more.
Different organisations can sometimes call very similar roles different titles, so it is important to read further than the job title and consider the activities a role involves.
Action Idea:
Start with your skillset and what’s important to you. Create a list of departments, organisations, or sectors where you could potentially work. Again, highlight the areas where you are motivated to find out more. Even if you are not thinking about moving organisation, this exercise will help you develop your network.
4 – Network
Who in your current network might it be useful for you to connect (or reconnect) with? I often think that the word networking conjures scary images of trying to talk to strangers at a conference. We forget to develop better relationships with the people we already know. Reach out to a former colleague who might be able to help you with career thinking, find a mentor, or offer to mentor someone yourself. Speak to someone you don’t know very well at your next team meeting. If you are attending a conference, be brave and approach someone who works in a role that interests you, ask questions, and share your own insights and ideas. Having a conversation about career and development ideas with someone in a similar field can be very helpful.
You could also think about the communities you could join or develop a role in. Attending community events is a great way to expand your network. The Society of Research Software Engineering is a good place to start, and often holds regional events and networks.
Action idea:
Start small – reconnect with one person this week that you haven’t spoken to for a while. Investigate local or regional technical professional communities and see if there’s something happening near you soon. Go along and say hello to a few people – this is a great way to build your network and find out what else is happening nearby.
5 - Reflect
If you had a magic wand and could create your perfect job, what activities would this involve?
Compare this list to the one you created in step 1 for your current role. How similar or different are the two lists, and what steps can you take to make the gap between your perfect and your current job smaller?
Career development is not always about moving role or organisation. It is important that we also appreciate what we love about our current position and use that as a starting point. There may be tweaks and changes you can make now which will help you in your future career development.
Action idea:
What one change could you make to your current role which would have an impact on how fulfilled you are at work? Do you have the agency to make this change, or whom else might you need to help?
Good luck getting started!