What does the next step look like?

Yesterday I went into the University Career Center for an appointment with a career coach, Kelsey. This was a first meeting, so we went over a lot of information fairly quickly. I went over my professional/academic career so far, detailing how I went from a physics major to mathematics then biology, how I spent 6 years in the same lab in UNC, my time so far here at KU, and my programming in my free time. I keep pretty busy!

I also brought along my resume and CV to get a fresh pair of eyes on it. Turns out my experience is enough to warrant going to 2 pages, which is small but just feels exciting. Most people in the past have told me to stick to 1 page, which required some creative formatting. With 2 pages I could add some whitespace to break it up, and get more descriptive of what I've achieved. Luckily I already was wondering that, so yesterday morning I reformatted it to 2 pages. It was good to get a fresh look at it, she caught several things that could be expanded or added.

We also talked about where exactly is the next step. This is where things get difficult. I know I don't want to go into academia. I've seen what that does to people. The constant stress, the long hours, all the grant applications and paperwork. Plus I'd have to spend several more years as a post-doc before I could get a faculty job, perhaps more. There's generally been a shortage of faculty positions opening up, a shortage of grant money, and an oversupply of post-docs trying to get both. No thanks, I'd much rather spend my time on something with a higher probability of working.

So that leaves the corporate/private sector. Now I could easily fit in with a biological lab, I've got over 10 years experience researching biological phenomena. There are a few companies in the KC area where I'd fit in well. But I could also go down the programming road. Good programmers seem to be in demand nowadays, and I'd like to think I've become a good programmer. I've got lots to explore here.

Finally, there's the level at which I'd be entering. I'm no longer an entry-level worker, that much is clear. I have an abundance of experience in the workplace, not to mention my experience with training and supervising others. Kelsey agreed yesterday, stating that it sounds like I'd be a better fit for a more managerial position. Now the question is what does that look like? What does someone with a strong research and programming background do in a "manager" position?