Natalia Bielczyk

Dr. Natalia Bielczyk is an entrepreneur, researcher, and author. She graduated from the College of Inter-Faculty Individual Studies in Mathematics and Natural Sciences at the University of Warsaw, Poland, with a triple MS title in Physics, Mathematics, and Psychology. Thereafter, she obtained a PhD in Computational Neuroscience at the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behavior in Nijmegen, the Netherlands. In 2018, she launched a public foundation, Stichting Solaris Onderzoek en Ontwikkeling, aiming to help early-career researchers find new careers in industry.

In 2019, she launched Ontology of Value, a company developing new tools and practices to help professionals navigate the job market. She also authored the book "What Is out There For Me? The Landscape of Post-PhD Career Tracks," runs a YouTube channel dedicated to post-PhD careers, and blogs about careers in general. 

Recently, she developed The Ontology of Value Test, a career orientation tool that helps professionals and students find an optimal working environment in the job market. Even though she chose to work in the open market, she is still a researcher in her free time and has a strong belief in the compatibility of science and entrepreneurship. Natalia is currently a Senior scientific Consultant with Sama Therapeutics, an innovative R&D company revolutionizing Prevision Neuropsychiatry. 

Can you describe your academic and professional background? What path led you to pursue this field? 

I have a background in a few different disciplines. I did my Master's in Applied Mathematics, Medical Physics, and Psychology. Then, I completed my PhD in Computational Neuroscience. I chose the Inter-Faculty Individual Studies in Mathematics and Natural Sciences at the University of Warsaw because it offered personal freedom to select courses I was interested in. During this time, I developed interest in neuroscience. Following this passion, I then embarked on a PhD program when I finished my studies. My Master’s training prepared me with knowledge and a portfolio of skills that I could apply to my PhD work in neuroscience.  

How did you find this particular position, and what was the hiring process like? Is there a typical structure for this in your field? 

How did I choose my path as a career advisor? Great question as careers usually are less planned, or linear, than they seem to be on LinkedIn :) In my case, it was also an organic process! After my academic contract had expired, I took a gap year to think about what to do next. And I tried so many things…

I was writing white papers for blockchain projects. I was trading a bit. I was mentoring in the Organization for Human Brain Mapping Student and Postdoc Special Interest Group as a volunteer. 

I also applied for jobs but, in principle, I didn't really feel that I would fit a corporate career, or a corporate environment. I learned how to get competitive jobs in the process but eventually, I chose not to go for any of the positions I was offered. In the end, in 2019 I set up my own company and that’s what I am occupied with right now.

Can you tell us about your current responsibilities? What is a typical day or week like in your role?

My days can be quite irregular because in entrepreneurial life, you have to plan every day by yourself, and you are subject to many distractions during the day. If a potential client calls you, you cannot ignore them! 

So, it’s pretty much like a PhD program, except that now you have to set your own deadlines and you live in a bigger chaos. And I have to say that I'm not the very best at setting my own milestones. I often get distracted and tend to go for too many side projects and hobbies. So it’s really hard for me to meet my own deadlines!

But in principle, to succeed as an entrepreneur, you have to set your own deadlines and be systematic. The main difference between successful and unsuccessful entrepreneurs is the amount of self-discipline, not talent. Discipline is the number one success factor in general. 

Sometimes I lack that discipline. For instance, I know that I am most productive and creative in the morning, but I don’t always utilize the mornings effectively - which can hinder my professional success. I also over-promise to people once in a while; I am always eager to help out and sometimes, I realize that I put too much weight on my shoulders and have to dial back my efforts. 

What do you enjoy about your current job and work environment? 

What I enjoy is that I define problems to solve and choose the direction for my future research and business all by myself. No one can really stop me from exploring and trying the projects I want to try. I do not have a formal boss - I'm my own boss. I have to set my own goals, and go for it! I meet fascinating people and I can decide how to collaborate and work together towards mutual goals.

And the benefits of working as a career advisor — where to even start! Great and motivated people I bump into along the way, the feeling of doing something useful, a new challenge every single day, supportive and uplifting professional environment… You can read about the perks of working as a career advisor in the article “Why Is It Cool To Work As a Career Advisor?” published on my personal blog. 

I can also take side projects. And I don't have to ask anyone for permission! For instance, I am currently involved in one research project with a team led by Dr. Franciszek Rakowski at the University of Warsaw. The team is working on modeling the COVID pandemic using an agent-based model and with very promising results. In principle, they are able to predict the spread of the pandemics and simulate various scenarios dependent on the epidemiological measures. I am helping the team draft manuscripts as a freelance researcher. I am also involved in business development projects for a few startups as a (senior) research consultant. 

Every project is different, and conditions differ as well. Sometimes, I am just paid per hour. Sometimes, I am also offered co-authorship on a research manuscript. And sometimes, I am offered a pool of shares.

What are some of the challenging aspects of your job? Is there anything you wish you had known about your job or industry before joining?

If you are willing to become an entrepreneur, you should know that this is all about street knowledge, not textbook knowledge. Therefore, don’t be hesitant and just do it. You will learn as you go! 

If I could turn back time, I would just start from building a company. I would have done it straight away, right after my academic contract expired in October of 2017. Or, I would even have started a side gig during my PhD to figure out how I can monetize my blog, so that I don’t need to start from scratch later on. In entrepreneurship, you learn by trial and error. The sooner you start, the better for you.

And of course, every career path has some downsides. You can read about some of the downsides of working as a career advisor in the article “Should You Consider Working As a Career Advisor?” published on my personal blog.

Do you have any professional plans for the future? What are some future career paths that could open up for someone in your position, 5-10 years down the road?

I used to have very well defined goals. When I was still in academia, I wanted to specifically become a professor in neuroscience. I was 100% set on that vision. Now, I have a different attitude: I just want to do my job the best I can, and be a good career advisor. I don't have one particular goal such as a professional title or a position, or an award that I would like to achieve.It is no longer about stamps and labels for me. I just want to spend every day in an interesting way, and conduct interesting projects with interesting people. 

So, I switched from well-defined goals in the distant future to everyday goals and living a more balanced life. I find a better balance between networking, building personal wealth, and learning new professional skills. I switched from goals to algorithms and heuristics for how to live my life every day.

Having said that, one thing I'd like to do is to accumulate enough capital to buy some place in the countryside and set up a center where entrepreneurs and career-savvy people can work together on developing projects and careers. It is not only my dream workplace but also my dream home. I wrote more about this vision on my company page and on my private blog.

I keep this vivid picture in my head and visualize my dream house every day — but other than that, I don't really have any specific plans. 

What’s changing in your industry? Are there any future trends we should be aware of?

The job market is changing very quickly and new professions are appearing in the market. I should always stay on top of the trends. 

About the trends that refer to all of us: we have to all be more entrepreneurial, more independent, take more responsibility for our career decisions, and think further ahead. One large trend is awareness of our online visibility and building our online presence. We have to be our own managers and represent ourselves when it comes to negotiating job terms.

What activities, internships, or organizations would you recommend someone get involved with to help them break into this field?

If you want to become a career advisor, there are many different ways to achieve this goal. Some people take specialized courses and get certifications to become a certified coach. I didn't do that because, for me, it was just one more diploma that you pay for.  

I also think that my personal style of coaching is atypical with elements of a workshop. In addition to asking questions, I share information and help people look for information they need. Throughout this process, I also activate my own contacts.

And, in any type of freelance activity, the hardest thing is to get your first clients. People usually come to you for coaching, or mentoring, via personal recommendations. Getting to this critical number of former clients who have developed positive opinions about your services is the hardest thing at the start.

Is it common for people in your field to have a scientific/academic background (i.e. have PhDs)? Can you think of any advantages or disadvantages someone with a PhD might experience while pursuing or working in your field?

If you want to do career advisory for PhDs, then having a PhD naturally helps because it allows you to understand your clients better. If you talk about being an entrepreneur in general, then a PhD can either make your life easier or harder — that really depends on where you go and how you use your skills. 

You have to negotiate for yourself and be systematic and strategic with your choices, namely picky which projects you choose with whom. You have to negotiate and advocate for yourself in a variety of situations that can be difficult to navigate. 

In business, the hardest-working people are not always the most successful; you can be competent but never get far in business just because you don’t know the right people. You have to invest in your network and also track trends. You need to stay on top of things: know what's happening to be able to pick up opportunities early. That’s often more important than hard work. 

Do you have any final words of advice for those navigating these career questions? Is there anything you would have done differently given what you know now? 

If you think of setting up a company, just do it. Start with sales early on. Start selling even before your product is finished! Sometimes, it’s better to first try to find a client for a workshop than make a workshop - you might spend two months preparing  a workshop and then figure that no one really wants to buy into this service in the first place. So, first make your offer and check if there is interest.

After leading my company for over two years, I'm more practical and down to earth than ever before. Back then, I was not as good with entrepreneurial thinking and I was often investing my time suboptimally. I was subject to wishful thinking, and I used to spend my time doing things that I thought would be necessary… but they were not. Now, I only act when I know that there is a point.

The future seems to be uncertain and scary but don't be afraid — there will always be interesting opportunities. There is this saying, “WAGMI” which means “we are all gonna make it.” When I look back, I think I was worried too much about the things that never even came to existence. So, you will be fine! You have a great education and the job market is more abundant than ever. 

You can follow Natalia on Twitter and her personal blog.