#ShareYourStory — Lean In Member Janelle Bickta
Part of our #TellYourStory series.
What do you do here in San Francisco?
I am an Associate Project Manager at a biotech company called Zymergen. I just joined the company about two months ago and am loving it so far!
What was your journey like to get to where you are?
I did my bachelor’s and master’s degrees in bioengineering at the University of Pittsburgh. I did a lot of research throughout undergrad and for a long time my goal was to be a scientist working in a lab for the rest of my life. I really wanted to make an impact in the medical field by researching diseases and understanding the molecular mechanisms behind them.
I started a graduate program and began working on a breast cancer research project for my thesis. After about a year, I started to lack the passion for working at the lab bench that I once had. I felt lost — this is what I’d worked for all of my undergraduate and part of my graduate career, and now it wasn’t what I wanted to do anymore.
Those 5 years were not wasted though! I earned a degree, met a lot of amazing people along the way, and learned a lot about myself and the kind of work I enjoy doing. Learning what you don’t want to do is just as important as learning what you do want to do.
One thing I really enjoy that I was missing in grad school is seeing all pieces of a project come together from start to finish. In the lab, I was studying a single protein in a single cell type — I wanted to see the big picture. I ended up dropping out of my PhD program to get my Master’s degree, which I finished in a year and a half. Basically every professor or advisor I ever had told me I was making a huge mistake and I would never be able to find the job I want without a PhD. Let’s just say that made my last semester a rough one.
My first job out of grad school was an internship with the wearable technology company Jawbone in Pittsburgh. After 3 months, I was able to relocate to their San Francisco office to work on a new team. In this role, I was managing all of the internal testing for user-facing experiences. This was a complete 180 from what I was doing as a grad student, and may not have been the best fit for me, but I learned a lot in the year I worked there.
I knew I wanted a job that combined management/coordination while still using my biology and bioengineering background. When I found the Project Management position at Zymergen, I knew it was going to be a great fit — and I got the job!
How do you define success?
For me, to be successful, a few things need to be true:
- Have a career that I enjoy doing every day
- Constantly be learning and challenging myself
- Staying mentally and physically healthy
- Continually build strong personal and professional relationships
What do you like to do outside of your professional life?
I love to be active — I’m training for the Golden Gate Half Marathon! I also love being outdoors; I am taking full advantage of California weather. I love to go hiking, biking, or even just spend the afternoon laying in the park.
What advice do you have for people early in their careers who may be going though some of the same things you’ve gone through?
First and foremost, don’t get discouraged. You will get job rejections; people will tell you you don’t have the right background or experience. Use those setbacks as motivation to work even harder toward what you want.
Be resilient. Achieving something you know you worked ridiculously hard towards feels incredible. Don’t lose sight of what you are working for.
Talk to people. If someone has the job you want, get coffee with them, learn about how they got to where they are! Making connections in today’s competitive job market so powerful.
Give yourself a break. Spend time with friends and family. Go outside. Be grateful for the life you have. Don’t let yourself get lost constantly focusing on what the next step is; remember to enjoy the present.
Enjoy the journey. You will be a stronger person because of it.
I know you all have amazing stories to tell. If you’re interested in being featured on Lean In SF, please email me at jbickta25@gmail.com.
