MUBJC first Invited Career Talk !!!

A reflection on the first 6 months of the Macau-UK Biomedical Journal Club (MUBJC), and some thoughts on our first invited career talk last week!

It’s been almost 6 months since we started the Macau-UK Biomedical Journal Club (MUBJC) in November 2024, and I’m really proud of how far we’ve come! I’ve always wanted to create a platform where we can come together to discuss ideas and support each other in his/her career journey!

Looking back to when I was an undergraduate or applying for PhD programs, I really struggled — there were many rejections, ups and downs, and no one to give me advice or help me practise for interviews etc. That experience was one of my main motivations for starting this journal club. Now, we have many UG/MRes students (many of whom are also applying for PhDs), and also a couple of PhD students. As PhD students, we’ve been able to offer useful advice, and the everyone in the club including the more junior members has the chance to practise scientific presentations, doing mock interviews etc. I’m truly proud of this!

Last week, on 2025-05-02, I was extremely proud to host a career talk by a very experienced friend of mine — Quang Le, who I met through badminton. He gave our first invited talk at the JC. It was incredibly inspiring and gave us so much to think about.

Quang spent 10 years in academia and has now worked in industry for almost another 10 years, so he has deep insights into both worlds. He’s had tremendous success in both — he has a Nature paper and over 15k citations, and he’s worked for major companies like Google, JP Morgan, and now Meta.

And yet, during the talk, he described his career as a “failure” — in the sense that early on, he didn’t have a clear direction. He shared many useful advices, such as encouraging us to develop clear career goals early in our undergraduate years (he said don’t be like him), and to ask ourselves: why do we want to do a Master’s or a PhD?

I’ll write down some key takeaways and quotes below:

• In competitive programming, dedication beats raw intelligence – anyone can succeed with persistence!
  • In this part, Quang talked about his early career and why he chose to study Computer Science as an undergraduate. He was very humble — he said he started out studying Maths and was passionate about problem-solving, but didn’t feel “smart enough” to excel in it, so he changed direction (which is actually very similar to my own story).
  • Then he discovered competitive programming — a field where hard work matters more than innate talent — and that’s why he loved it.

He then discussed his academic journey from UG to PhD. He mentioned that in his culture (Vietnam), and in Chinese culture more broadly, becoming a professor is highly respected — which can make it tempting to follow the academic path by default. But he warned against blindly following that path. He explained that this was one of the main reasons he pursued a PhD without being sure of what he truly wanted — and that if he could go back in time, he wouldn’t have done the PhD. He left us with some self-discovery questions to consider:

• What truly excites me? – Problem-solving? Research? Industry applications?
• Did I choose academia by default, or out of passion?
• What career path aligns with my skills and interests?

He also talked about why he stayed in academia for nearly 10 years as a postdoc, even though it might not have aligned with his true interests.

• Hard Work Pays Off – Effort translates directly into results; merit-based progression (fewer politics than in corporate environments?)
• Flexible & Low-Pressure Lifestyle – No strict 9-to-5; less financial urgency (if funding is stable)

But a key question he asked — for us and for his younger self — was:

• Does academia align with my long-term goals, or am I staying just because it’s comfortable?

He then talked about his first failed attempt to move into industry. Despite already being highly successful in academia, he had over 30 interviews and no offers. Some key lessons:

• Unprepared for Interviews
  • Focused too much on academic strengths, not industry problem-solving
  • Didn’t practise with mock interviews or get feedback
• No Senior-Level Industry Experience
  • Academic achievements ≠ industry-ready leadership
• Speaking a Different Language
  • Mismatch between theoretical and applied mindsets
• No Coach or Guide
  • Tried to navigate the process alone, without mentors to help decode expectations

Then he shared his second attempt (3 years later). He was about to turn 40 and knew it might be his last realistic chance to pivot into industry — so he worked really hard. He studied over 2000 LeetCode problems, practised mock interviews, learned to “speak their language,” strategically aimed for entry-level roles to get a foot in the door, and actively sought advice from ex-academics working in tech. Eventually, his efforts paid off and he successfully transitioned into industry. Some key lessons from his experience:

• Industry rewards preparation, not just brilliance
• Entry-level ≠ failure – it can be a strategic reset
• Your PhD is a strength – but only if you can translate it

He also shared a few examples of projects he’s worked on in industry (at Google and Facebook), and how these aligned better with his values compared to academia. I won’t go into details here, but it was very inspiring.

Due to time constraints, he skipped one slide, but I could more or less guess the message from what was shown. It was about why he enjoys work much more now. Some key points from that slide:

• Purpose & Impact – Seeing real-world impact from his work; projects are organized, goal-driven, and collaborative
• Better Planning – Clear short-term targets (3–6 months) with measurable outcomes; long-term growth tied to skills and financial goals
• Financial Security for Loved Ones – Able to support family and friends meaningfully; freedom to invest in shared experiences
• Giving Back to Science – Donates to open-source projects, research grants, or scholarships; mentors the next generation of researchers transitioning into industry

A key quote here:

• Success isn’t just about what you achieve – it’s about what you enable others to do.

Finally, in his conclusion slide, he reflected on what he would have done differently and shared some inspiring advice for us to think about:

• Explore More Options
  • Stay flexible at every stage
  • Question your assumptions and pivot when necessary
• Blend Old & New Thinking
  • Respect tradition, but adapt critically
  • Combine timeless principles with modern tools
• Seek Mentorship & Collaboration
  • Learn from experienced mentors
  • Leverage peer knowledge and coaching
• Embrace Risk as Opportunity
  • Uncertainty creates new possibilities
  • Take calculated risks and stay agile

That’s all from the career talk! It was incredibly inspiring for me — and hopefully for everyone else in the club as well. I’m also very proud of the MUBJC I co-founded, which gave me the opportunity to invite other experienced people to share their journeys with us. I’m really looking forward to hosting more invited talks in the future!