The choices that scientists make early in their careers will impact them for a lifetime. I will use the experiences of scientists who have had great careers to identify universal distinguishing traits of good career choices that can guild decisions in education, choice of profession, and job opportunities to increase your chances of having a great career with long-term sustained accomplishments.

I will describe how the choices made by the scientists with great careers were based on following their passion, building their talents into a strength supporting their profession, and how they identified a supportive engaging work environment. I will provide some simple guidelines that can help guide your choices, in school and in picking the right job that can lead to a rewarding career and more meaningful life. The topic is important because, so far as I can tell, life is not a trial run - we have one shot to get it right.

Target audience: This talk will be especially useful for students, postdocs, and early career scientists. Join us for an engaging discussion on how to make the choices leading to a great career.

Short Bio: Professor Mac Hyman holds the Evelyn and John G. Phillips Distinguished Chair in Mathematics at Tulane University, is the past President of the Society of Industrial and Applied Mathematics, and an AAAS Fellow. He is the former group leader of the Los Alamos National Laboratory Mathematical Modeling and Analysis Group and coordinated the Los Alamos applied mathematics summer student internship program for twenty years.