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Adapting fast is important for your career with Nathan Hillson (Chief Information Officer, Department Head of BioDesign)
My "Tetherball" Path
How do you navigate career decisions when you can't predict the future? For Nathan Hillson, Department Head of Biodesign at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the answer lies in what he calls "career tetherball" – a journey tethered by your context but bouncing in different directions through experiences and mentorship.
Nathan's journey began with cockroach experiments and high school supercomputing challenges in Albuquerque, where his exposure to possible careers was initially limited by his environment. With parents in medical fields, becoming a radiologist seemed like the logical path. Yet through college coursework, he discovered that physics – not biology or electrical engineering – sparked his genuine interest and played to his strengths. Rather than forcing himself to continue on a predetermined path, he listened to this internal feedback and pivoted.
What makes Nathan's story particularly valuable is his insight into how we make decisions under uncertainty. When choosing his graduate lab at Harvard, he prioritized culture and environment over perfect research alignment – a decision that profoundly shaped his scientific development. Later, when weighing a stable national lab position against being the first employee at a biotech startup, his life circumstances influenced his risk tolerance, demonstrating how our "tetherball" is constantly influenced by practical realities.
The most actionable wisdom from Nathan's experience may be his approach to mentorship. He advocates for having multiple mentors at different career stages: senior leaders who provide big-picture vision and peers just a few years ahead who offer practical navigation advice. The ideal mentor should see your potential more clearly than you can yourself while remaining unbiased about your decisions.
Ready to apply these insights to your own career journey? Start by examining whether your current position offers the three essentials Nathan identifies: working with people you enjoy, continuously learning, and making a positive impact. Remember that your adaptability might be your greatest professional asset, allowing you to find fulfillment across multiple potential paths rather than just one.
Feel free to leave comments here!
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By Daniel KooMy "Tetherball" Path
How do you navigate career decisions when you can't predict the future? For Nathan Hillson, Department Head of Biodesign at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the answer lies in what he calls "career tetherball" – a journey tethered by your context but bouncing in different directions through experiences and mentorship.
Nathan's journey began with cockroach experiments and high school supercomputing challenges in Albuquerque, where his exposure to possible careers was initially limited by his environment. With parents in medical fields, becoming a radiologist seemed like the logical path. Yet through college coursework, he discovered that physics – not biology or electrical engineering – sparked his genuine interest and played to his strengths. Rather than forcing himself to continue on a predetermined path, he listened to this internal feedback and pivoted.
What makes Nathan's story particularly valuable is his insight into how we make decisions under uncertainty. When choosing his graduate lab at Harvard, he prioritized culture and environment over perfect research alignment – a decision that profoundly shaped his scientific development. Later, when weighing a stable national lab position against being the first employee at a biotech startup, his life circumstances influenced his risk tolerance, demonstrating how our "tetherball" is constantly influenced by practical realities.
The most actionable wisdom from Nathan's experience may be his approach to mentorship. He advocates for having multiple mentors at different career stages: senior leaders who provide big-picture vision and peers just a few years ahead who offer practical navigation advice. The ideal mentor should see your potential more clearly than you can yourself while remaining unbiased about your decisions.
Ready to apply these insights to your own career journey? Start by examining whether your current position offers the three essentials Nathan identifies: working with people you enjoy, continuously learning, and making a positive impact. Remember that your adaptability might be your greatest professional asset, allowing you to find fulfillment across multiple potential paths rather than just one.
Feel free to leave comments here!
Support the show