Career Roadmap
Miriam's work combines: Writing, Science, and Working Independently
See more careers and stories that connect to your interests.
Take Roadmap Quiz
Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Here's the path I took:
High School
The Frisch School
Bachelor's Degree
Biology/Biological Sciences, General
Rutgers University-Newark
Graduate Degree
Molecular Biology
Yeshiva University
Doctorate
Molecular Biology
Yeshiva University
Here's the path I recommend for someone who wants to be a Poets, Lyricists & Creative Writers:
High School
Bachelor's Degree: Biology/Biological Sciences, General
Learn more about different paths to this career
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life took a while to figure out
1.
Deciding on a college honors research project in college: Biochemistry.
2.
Worked as a research lab technician in a cancer research lab.
3.
Entered graduate school.
4.
After getting my Ph.D., got a full-time professional medical writing job.
5.
After 4 years and a promotion, got fired from my medical writing job.
6.
Started trawling the internet to try and determine what career was appropriate for me.
7.
Found the Kiersey Temperament Sorter, which is based on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI).
8.
Discovered that my professional/personality type was INFP (I is for introvert).
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Society in general:
"You'll be mush before you're 20." (my Dad, when I was 6 years old); "You have poor math skills and cannot improve" (7th grade math teacher); "I know you will face all challenges that come your way" (12th grade English teacher)
How I responded:
I ruminated. I freaked out constantly. While in high school, in the evenings when I was home, I threw screaming, bloody fits. I tore out my hair and hit my head against the wall. When I finally threatened to commit suicide, my Mom took decisive action and got me into therapy. I've been in psychotherapy consistently for over 30 years. However, because of my nature, I was very passionate about pursuing graduate education in biology even though my Dad wanted me to go into computer science.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
My parents were narcissistic and had children for the wrong reasons. I existed primarily because my mother needed to replace her mother, who died when she was only 5 years old. My father just wanted to succeed in the way his cousins did.