What does a scientist do in face of unemployment and rejection?
You look for the highest-rejection, highest-communication environment you can find: face-to-face street fundraising.
As a “Doctor Without a Job,” stepping onto the streets of Vienna for “Doctors Without Borders” (Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)) felt beautifully ironic.
I published this article originally on LinkedIn on (7-October-2026).
The Street Side
To my academic and LinkedIn bubble,
In 2024, I decided to look for jobs outside of basic academic research.
I quickly encountered the so-called “overqualification” dilemma and certain prejudices towards scientists permeating popular culture: that they do not work in teams, don’t communicate well, are hyper-specialized, non-pragmatic, and can’t handle rejection. Yet not every scientist is Sheldon Cooper. 😉
So, in 2025, just when returning to Vienna, I was facing an indeterminate amount of time unemployed and looking for jobs… but I really didn’t want to sit around and do nothing. I thought, how could I do something good during that time while providing a means to pay for my rent and food? Also, what could I do to actively prove (and improve) my communication skills and resilience?
I looked for a high-rejection, high-communication environment … which brought my attention to face-to-face fundraising. And as a “Doctor Without a Job,” I thought, what could be a better fit than “Doctors Without Borders” (MSF)? Okay, that wasn’t the main reason why I applied there, but it seems beautifully ironic in hindsight.
I was taken into the fantastic fold of the fundraising team at “Doctors Without Borders” (MSF) in Vienna. I worked there for close to a year and was honored to become a team leader eventually. I learned a lot about the art of raising money for a great cause. I want to deeply thank the coaches (Michael Strobach and Sjawosh Christian Baghiri), colleagues, and donors whom I met during this time.
During that period, I met so many interesting people with surprising (and unbelievable) biographies. Because I have always enjoyed writing, I was inspired to weave all these threads together into a satirical novel, Overqualified: Lab Bench to Street Side, which I recently published.
👇 Take a look at the final cover art below!
As I continue working on further literary projects, I am curious to hear your own anecdotes of surprising, weird, funny, or even tragic academic and post-academic events. Let me know in the comments below, or send me a direct message or email, if it’s too confidential!
#CareerTransition #PhDCareers #AuthorLife #Overqualified #NGO
➡️ Read Part 1 here: Part 1
📕 Get the eBook here: https://books2read.com/u/b59kMG
🌐 Website: https://florianpuhm.com/fiction/
✍️ Substack: https://substack.com/@fromsciencetofiction
✉️ Email: info@florianpuhm.com
Source: https://florianpuhm.com/fiction/novels/
#CareerTransition #PhDCareers #AuthorLife #Overqualified #NGO