[Histonet] HTL Career Path

[Anna Huntley Coffey]

Hello Histonet,

I have been following this listserve for a couple years now and have found
it to be a very interesting and helpful forum for sharing ideas and
information among individuals with varied career histories in the histopath
field. I sort of fell into histology work while working on my MS thesis in
marine biology, making my own H&E slides for diagnosis of a parasite found
in blue crabs. Since I graduated in 2011, I've worked mostly in research
histology labs and just got my HTL certification last spring, working on my
qIHC this fall.

I like the histology field and have had the pleasure of working with some
really great people. However, I've felt discouraged at times with what
seems like a lack of opportunity for professional growth and advancement
and sometimes it feels like the only way to get new experiences and higher
pay is to go back to school for another degree or completely change jobs
and move to a new institution. I realize that I got into histology almost
accidentally and that some of my experiences may be unique to the research
field, but I'd be very interested to hear about your experiences regarding
research vs. clinical work, how you were able to be intentional about your
career path, what advancement opportunities you've found, etc. if you're
willing to share them.

Thanks,
Anna