Karen Young Kreeger, MS '85M, and her husband, Dan Kreeger, MS '86M, have demonstrated that a careers in science can take on many forms.

Karen and Dan had similar career interests when they met as graduate students in UD's College of Marine Studies, yet they have since defined themselves differently.

Dan found his niche as a physiological ecologist and assistant curator with the Patrick Environmental Center of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. He studies aquatic invertebrates--primarily shellfish such as mussels, oysters and crustaceans.

Karen has developed a successful career in freelance science writing. During the journey that led her from "budding fisheries scientist" to scribe, Karen met scores of other scientists who were re-examining their goals and changing their vocations. Her experience prompted her to write her first book: Guide to Nontraditional Careers in Science (Taylor & Francis, 1999).

In her book, Karen tells personal stories of nearly 100 individuals who started on a traditional science career path, found dissatisfaction or a lack of employment and, ultimately, chose a "road less traveled." Sales of the book are going well, she says, and the title is listed on Amazon.com.

Through personal testimonies and advice, Karen's book demonstrates how successful science career switches can be made. Many career choices are available to scientists in seemingly unlikely fields, including law, teaching, writing, computer technology and business.

"Scientists are inquisitive by nature," Karen says. "It's natural for them to question their careers and goals." Many scientists investigate various career transitions because they realize that they find lab work "a grind," she says. "Or, they just get to a point where it is time to explore alternatives."

Dan found his career niche early on. At the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia since 1993, he researches the physiology and ecology of such suspension-feeding invertebrates as oysters, mussels and zooplankton, which feed on microscopic bits of plants and other material.

Dan concedes his research can sound confusing to the layperson. "I usually can't help but start by giving my lofty speech about how the charismatic megafauna dominate center stage, but the real infrastructure of nature is 'ground level,'" he jokes. "Whales, turtles, birds and fish are sustained by animals and plants at the base of the food chain. This is where you'll find suspension-feeding animals, the grazers of all those small bits of material that make water cloudy."

Satisfied and stimulated in his career, Dan says he is never bored. "The number of meetings and administrative demands can be distracting. That is true everywhere, as are the constant pressures to get grant support and publish papers. There is never enough time. Every day is a foot race."

Compounding Dan's busy schedule is his commitment to teach students at Drexel University and the University of Pennsylvania. "The continued viability of my research is thanks mainly to them," he says.

Dan says Karen's science knowledge--especially in the areas of aquatic ecology and environmental science--allows them to "speak the same language," even though family topics (including young son, Austin) dominate most conversations. "When things come up in the science world that command either her or my sole attention, we have immediate and clear understanding for each other because of our similar backgrounds," Dan says.

Karen is often a featured speaker on the topic of nontraditional career choices, speaking three times at the University of Pennsylvania and multiple other times at national science professional meetings across the country.

"I've described in my book the process of self-discovery," she says. "At meetings, I speak about identifying what you do or don't like about what you're doing in the lab or about your work."

Examples of Karen's self-discovery questions include: "How do I get satisfaction on the job?" "Am I self-motivated?" "Do I need external recognition?" "Do I need feedback? "Do I enjoy communicating my scientific findings?" "Do I like to write?"

Then, she demonstrates how to evaluate answers, and plan changes.

"You have to throw your heart into what makes you happy. Finding out what makes you tick is not an easy process," Karen says. She advises scientists contemplating career choices to schedule informational interviews with professionals who work in careers they are interested in.

Volunteering, auditing college courses and attending professional meetings also can be helpful to a potential career switcher. Karen often is asked personal questions about career investigation by young scientists, such as: "How do I tell my mentor that I want to make a career change?" and "How do I deal with the sense of failure that comes with changing my original plans?"

"These questions are tough to answer, but I can relate to the feelings behind them," she says.

Karen is a contributing editor for The Scientist, and contributes to the web site NatureJobs.com. She also writes a regular health-related pregnancy Q&A section for the national consumer publication Fit Pregnancy, a Shape magazine spin-off. In answering pregnant women's medical questions, Karen consults physicians and then turns the technical into the readable.

"I never would have been able to alter my original goals without support from family and friends," Karen says. "Sounds corny, but I do tell that to the people who attend my talks and ask me for advice: Find someone to offer positive support and run with it."

--Linda Bird Randolph, AS '88