Career as Life Path: Tracing Work and Life Strategies of Biotech Professionals

Abstract

Abstract Contrary to traditional depiction, professional careers are not purely individual, linear, and primarily determined by human capital. Rather, they are profoundly shaped by family and other extra-work relationships in which individual employees are embedded, are anything but linear over the life span, and are determined partly by circumstance, luck, and the actions of others as well as by one’s education and training. In this chapter, we argue that, at least in the industry we examine, an individualistic, linear, human capital intensive view does not explain work experiences well. We propose a more complex, textured explanation of factors influencing work outcomes, along with a more fluid, evolving conception of career.