Blogging Makes Perfect

Blogger Genomic Repairman says that at a recent society-sponsored career workshop for graduate students, speakers representing a variety of careers — from tenure-track professors to lawyers, consultants, and NIH program officers — emphasized the importance of writing skills. "Communication skills were huge components of each of the careers, but writing was valued even more than oral communication," he writes. One panelist, a science journalist, suggested that students begin blogging in order to sharpen their skills. "For me, blogging has been a way to work on my writing," Genomic Repairmen writes, adding that "it has also exposed me many topics and trends in the life sciences field that I would have been otherwise not seen for a while."