What A Senior Research Fellow At Christensen Institute Wishes They Had Known Before Entering The Think Tank Industry
Thomas, a Senior Research Fellow at the Clayton Christensen Institute, wished someone had told them about the existence of "think tanks" as a career path before, as their understanding was limited to portrayals in movies like "Iron Man 3". This highlights the value of networking to discover unconventional and fulfilling career opportunities like their current role.
Networking, Career Exploration, Think Tanks, Research, Unconventional Careers
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Thomas Arnett
Senior Research Fellow
Clayton Christensen Institute
Brigham Young University, 2009
Carnegie Mellon University, Tepper School of Business, Master of Business Administration
Economics
Education
Research and Development (R&D)
Scholarship Recipient, Took Out Loans
Video Highlights
1. The career of a research fellow at a think tank may not be widely known and discovering such opportunities often relies on networking.
2. Think tanks, like the Clayton Christensen Institute, offer unique research roles that may differ from conventional understanding.
3. Early career exposure to diverse professional roles and opportunities, such as through networking, can be highly beneficial for undergraduates.
Transcript
What have you learned about being a research fellow that you wish someone had told you before you started?
This question is kind of funny because my answer is, I wish someone had told me this job existed. Our organization, we call ourselves a think tank.
I'd never really heard of a think tank before I worked here, other than in movies like *Iron Man 3*. I think the bad guy works at a think tank in that movie, but that was literally my only understanding of what think tanks were until I found this role.
So, I'd say it's valuable for networking to find people who do interesting work that you've never heard of before. That's something I wish I'd had even more exposure to back when I was an undergrad.