How long does it take to become a Fellow?

It takes 3 years of professional experience to become a fellow. That is the time it takes to learn specific fellow skills, but does not account for time spent in formal education. If you include the normal education requirements to complete a college degree, then it takes 6 to 8 years years to become a fellow.

How To Become A Fellow: What It Is and Career Path

What is a fellow and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

A fellow is a person who has completed their formal education and is pursuing advanced training in a specific field. They are usually chosen through a competitive application process and receive funding for their work. Fellows are expected to conduct research, create innovative solutions, and contribute to the field through publications and presentations. They may mentor students or collaborate with colleagues. Their ultimate goal is to become experts in their field and make significant contributions through their work.

ScoreFellowUS Average

Salary

5.2

Avg. Salary $66,364

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.3

Growth rate 17%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

2.9

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.15%

Asian 26.36%

Black or African American 6.40%

Hispanic or Latino 9.64%

Unknown 4.11%

White 53.34%

Gender

female 53.83%

male 46.17%

Age - 39

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 39

Stress level

6.3

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.8

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.7

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a fellow?

Pros

Opportunity to gain specialized knowledge and skills
Access to professional networks and resources
Chance to work on cutting-edge research projects
Potential for mentorship and guidance from experienced professionals
Opportunity to publish research and present at conferences
Chance to collaborate with experts in the field

Cons

Limited job security beyond the duration of the fellowship
Limited autonomy or decision-making power
Highly competitive and difficult to secure
May not offer benefits such as health insurance or retirement plans
May not provide adequate compensation for the level of education and experience required.

Key steps to become a fellow

Explore fellow education requirements

Most common fellow degrees

Bachelor's

64.3 %

Master's

16.2 %

Doctorate

13.8 %

Start to develop specific fellow skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	10.73%
Professional Development	7.45%
Veterans	6.53%
Mathematics	4.85%
Math	4.85%

Complete relevant fellow training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New fellows learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a fellow based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real fellow resumes.

Research fellow duties and responsibilities

Design and lead labs align with the NYC curriculum, on topics including moon phases and dichotomous keys.
Maintain company website, as well as wrote, manage, and edit content on the SharePoint portal.
Manage live streaming for NARAL Facebook during NARAL's lobby day, as well as assisting in attendee organization.
Work through several medical software databases to generate SQL to pass on to Java developers for their programs.

Prepare your fellow resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your fellow resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a fellow resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable fellow resume templates

Build a professional fellow resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your fellow resume.