Career Exploration, Personal Perspective
In Fall 2018, I started writing a series of pieces for the NIH Broadening Experiences in Scientific Training (BEST) Student/Postdoc Blog. As these pieces are no longer accessible online, I wanted to re-share them in a continuing series NIH BEST Blog Rewind. Here, I will add some additional thoughts to what was originally authored in 2018, denoted in bold (dark red) throughout the piece.
Original Publication Date: November 2018
NEW Perspectives, Comments, & Insights
Part of a series revisiting my NIH BEST Blog pieces.
NEW Perspectives, Comments, & Insights
Part of a series revisiting my NIH BEST Blog pieces.
Is a postdoc worth it? It can be, if you use it strategically.
Recently, I came across a passage in the book Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover that I think perfectly captures the nature of finding one’s place in the world. When talking about all the decisions that go into making a life, Westover makes the following analogy:
“Decided. Choices (that people make, together and on their own), numberless as grains of sand, had layered, compressed, coalescing into sediment, then into rock, until all was set in stone.”
Recently, I came across a passage in the book Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover that I think perfectly captures the nature of finding one’s place in the world. When talking about all the decisions that go into making a life, Westover makes the following analogy:
“Decided. Choices (that people make, together and on their own), numberless as grains of sand, had layered, compressed, coalescing into sediment, then into rock, until all was set in stone.”
The Fundamental Post-Ph.D. Choice Point: To Postdoc or Not?
Truly, the choices we make throughout our life ultimately shape and define us. Some choices may seem small and trivial (grains of sand) but they compound over time. The choice to pursue a postdoc is certainly not a trivial one but some of the experiences that accompany it can add up to have an impact on one’s career trajectory, often in unexpected ways.
The most pressing decision for the majority of late-stage graduate students is whether to pursue postdoctoral training. Long the default for those Ph.D.s interested in faculty careers in academia, the postdoctoral fellowship, especially in the sciences has become ubiquitous and a virtually expected next step after graduate school. According to NSF data, ~61% of US life science Ph.D.s with post graduation commitments are pursuing a postdoc and ~38% of all Ph.D. recipients surveyed pursue a postdoc. Even for graduate students interested in careers in industry, many are told that employers want to see postdoctoral experience before offering them a job. Nevertheless, graduate students should definitely consider the value of a postdoc to their own career goals before committing to a few (or often more) years of training.
Truly, the choices we make throughout our life ultimately shape and define us. Some choices may seem small and trivial (grains of sand) but they compound over time. The choice to pursue a postdoc is certainly not a trivial one but some of the experiences that accompany it can add up to have an impact on one’s career trajectory, often in unexpected ways.
The most pressing decision for the majority of late-stage graduate students is whether to pursue postdoctoral training. Long the default for those Ph.D.s interested in faculty careers in academia, the postdoctoral fellowship, especially in the sciences has become ubiquitous and a virtually expected next step after graduate school. According to NSF data, ~61% of US life science Ph.D.s with post graduation commitments are pursuing a postdoc and ~38% of all Ph.D. recipients surveyed pursue a postdoc. Even for graduate students interested in careers in industry, many are told that employers want to see postdoctoral experience before offering them a job. Nevertheless, graduate students should definitely consider the value of a postdoc to their own career goals before committing to a few (or often more) years of training.
| As the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in an unstable labor market (including in academia), now may be an excellent time for Ph.D.s to spend a few years in a postdoc to strengthen their skills as they wait for economic conditions to improve. Postdocs will, at least for the foreseeable future, be needed to help drive scientific research and innovation at US universities. In fact, data on postdoctoral hiring trends collected in May/June 2020 by the Professional Development and Career Office at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine found 35% of responding institutions have not changed their postdoc hiring practices at all post-COVID-19 and only 3% have stopped hiring postdocs completely. |  Data collected from 31 postdoc offices across the US in May/June 2020 indicate postdoc hiring is still occurring, if primarily in a modified form (requiring additional levels of approval or verification of funding source for the positions). |
Furthermore, having an advanced degree may insulate Ph.D. holders from the main shock to labor markets post-COVID-19. And one can imagine the demand for life science Ph.D.s working to assist companies developing COVID-19 therapies and vaccines could be high. Additionally, as companies and industries use this time to rethink their workforce, the skills you are developing in your Ph.D. and postdoc - critical thinking, information synthesis, hypothesis testing, and presentation skills - will have you prepared for the future of work.
Why Pursue the Postdoc Path? Pluses & Minuses
If you love doing research, a postdoc can seem like a great thing as there are no longer pesky classes and dissertation committee meetings that go along with being a Ph.D. student. Rather, a research postdoc is all about the science. However, there are clear short-term financial costs to pursuing a postdoc as a well-publicized 2017 study found, estimating that 15 years into their careers, former postdoc researchers earned a total salary ~20% less than non-postdocs across a variety of sectors (non-tenure track academic research, government/nonprofit, industry). While this number is somewhat depressing, I am about to use a cliché but one I whole-heartedly believe in when it comes to the postdoctoral experience: it’s not all about the money.
If you love doing research, a postdoc can seem like a great thing as there are no longer pesky classes and dissertation committee meetings that go along with being a Ph.D. student. Rather, a research postdoc is all about the science. However, there are clear short-term financial costs to pursuing a postdoc as a well-publicized 2017 study found, estimating that 15 years into their careers, former postdoc researchers earned a total salary ~20% less than non-postdocs across a variety of sectors (non-tenure track academic research, government/nonprofit, industry). While this number is somewhat depressing, I am about to use a cliché but one I whole-heartedly believe in when it comes to the postdoctoral experience: it’s not all about the money.
Obviously, it is not about the money while you are in a postdoc and clearly one’s particular family situation may prompt you to look for a higher salary than that of a postdoc after you complete your Ph.D., which is completely understandable. However, the postdoc time can be useful to allow you to continue to explore your career options and diversify your skill set.
| Use Your Time as Postdoc to Build Skills & Expand Your Career Options I realize my perspective as a mobile, single, relatively young man is different than many others. To summarize my personal experience on the matter, I have found my 4.5 years as a postdoc to be a great experience that helped me grow as a person. During this time I have done cool science that will hopefully have an impact on human health, learned a variety of new techniques and skills (both “hard/technical” and “soft/transferable”; including leadership skills in the Vanderbilt Postdoctoral Association), and discovered more about what I desire for my life. |  |
In addition, I used my time as a postdoc to explore a variety of career options via informational interviews and on-campus sessions as part of Vanderbilt’s BEST Program: ASPIRE. I also greatly expanded my professional network by attending a variety of local and national conferences on topics ranging from Healthcare to Data Science to Neuroscience. I honed my written and oral communication by volunteering to write/blog for a variety of outlets and never saying no to an invitation to talk about my research work, which I have done at conferences, universities, on Twitter, and at a local science club in Nashville. These varied experiences have shaped who I now am. I didn’t come to this postdoc thinking all of these experiences would happen to me but they did and I am a better person for experiencing them. From these experiences, I know I can write effectively, speak publicly, organize meetings, work as part of a team, and plan and execute a variety of projects, all skills that will be valuable in whatever career I pursue post postdoc.
A Postdoc Can Provide Life Flexibility
Furthermore, and while it will vary from lab to lab, I have to say that my postdoctoral experience has also given me the ability to live a flexible life. I can take a few weeks off between Christmas and New Years to visit with my parents and sisters, take a week off in the summer to go to the beach with family and friends, or take a Friday off to get a jumpstart on a weekend trip. As long as one's work gets done, a good postdoc advisor won't micromanage your working hours. Thus, a postdoc can offer a good deal of autonomy and flexibility, albeit compensating you at a lower rate than the market might allow. Importantly, postdoc compensation is improving, as measured by NIH NRSA postdoc stipend levels.
Furthermore, and while it will vary from lab to lab, I have to say that my postdoctoral experience has also given me the ability to live a flexible life. I can take a few weeks off between Christmas and New Years to visit with my parents and sisters, take a week off in the summer to go to the beach with family and friends, or take a Friday off to get a jumpstart on a weekend trip. As long as one's work gets done, a good postdoc advisor won't micromanage your working hours. Thus, a postdoc can offer a good deal of autonomy and flexibility, albeit compensating you at a lower rate than the market might allow. Importantly, postdoc compensation is improving, as measured by NIH NRSA postdoc stipend levels.
 | There is a saying that life is often a tradeoff between time and money, you will often have too much of one but not enough of the other. |
While the above quote referencing the time/money trade-off is certainly not always true, I feel like my position as a postdoc, while not giving me the best monetary reward, gave and still gives me a lot of flexibility and a good work-life balance. It is hard to put a price on that. As my parents get older, I am keenly aware that I should take the time when I can to visit them and other family members. My choice to do a flexible postdoc (as opposed to working in the corporate, 9-5 always “on” world) has given me the ability to make time for family.
Given the COVID-19 pandemic, you may not be able to physically visit with family or friends even if you have flexibility in your postdoc. Travel will eventually become more available as we "flatten the curve" and, thankfully, video-conferencing technology allows one to visit with others from the safety of your home.
In these challenging times, you can still use your postdoc time to up-skill via the vast number of courses offered online via LinkedIn Learning, Coursera, EdX, Udemy, and more.
In these challenging times, you can still use your postdoc time to up-skill via the vast number of courses offered online via LinkedIn Learning, Coursera, EdX, Udemy, and more.
| Moving to Your Preferred Geographic Area for the Postdoc One should consider taking a postdoc in a geographic area where you believe career opportunities in your desired field are plentiful. That might be the Bay Area, San Diego, Boston, New York, or lesser known but dynamically growing Southern metro areas such as Austin and Raleigh-Durham. CBRE, a world leader in real estate services, has some excellent data on leading US life science clusters and top tech talent markets in North America. |  |
Moving to any of these hubs will greatly increase your opportunity to find employment after your postdoc and by doing your postdoc in these metro areas, you will be able to actively network with individuals working in the life science and technology sectors. Obviously, COVID-19 will limit your ability to physically network with most anyone over the coming months but many regional groups such as MassBio and the NC Biotechnology Center are currently offering virtual networking opportunities.
Finally, living in your desired geographic area as a postdoc will allow you to rapidly act on job market opportunities. If a position opens up and they want you to start in a few weeks, you will already have made the move and will be ready to hit the ground running in your new position.
Finally, living in your desired geographic area as a postdoc will allow you to rapidly act on job market opportunities. If a position opens up and they want you to start in a few weeks, you will already have made the move and will be ready to hit the ground running in your new position.
North America at night from space. Accessed from: https://epod.usra.edu/blog/2000/11/city-lights-of-north-america.html
Obviously, if you are considering a faculty career path, you will have to be more flexible with your geographic preferences. Luckily, the timeline for moving to begin a faculty position can often be stretched by several months (to as long as a year) and moving expenses are often covered by the hiring university.
Even in academia, though, there are clearly geographic hubs for faculty positions: Boston, the Bay Area, Southern California, New York City, and Chicago come to mind. Here in the NC Research Triangle area, Duke University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, & North Carolina State University employ over 12,500 faculty (including UNC & Duke Schools of Medicine) in a ~90 square-mile area. So, it is still possible to postdoc and purse a faculty position in the same geographic area, though your options will be limited.
Where you live can greatly affect your happiness, including being close to family, cultural opportunities, and employment opportunities for your significant other. So, you should definitely consider geography when taking a postdoc and your next employment opportunity, including deciding how important geographic location is for your well-being.
Transitioning Out of the Postdoc
Obviously, a postdoc should eventually come to an end and I think one shouldn’t stay too long in a postdoc. What "too long" is will vary by field but I would argue that if you don't feel like you are building new skills and growing as a researcher, you should start planning to transition out of the postdoc. It is easy to get complacent but the postdoc position should be a temporary “stepping stone” to bigger and better things.
Obviously, a postdoc should eventually come to an end and I think one shouldn’t stay too long in a postdoc. What "too long" is will vary by field but I would argue that if you don't feel like you are building new skills and growing as a researcher, you should start planning to transition out of the postdoc. It is easy to get complacent but the postdoc position should be a temporary “stepping stone” to bigger and better things.
For me, the postdoc expanded my view of what my life could be. I was pretty convinced a faculty job was what I wanted and while that still could be a good career for me (see Tales from the Academic Job Market), I have come to learn there are so many more opportunities out there for Ph.D.s. Furthermore, I have found a few “alternative” (horrible wording) careers that I think I would not only be good fits for me but also would give purpose and meaning to my life. As I mentioned in my first BEST Blog post, everyone is looking for those two things in life: purpose and meaning. My postdoc has helped me to find what that might look like for me. While I haven’t completely gone down any of these available career paths (more on these in my next post) fully just yet, I think I could be happy and fulfilled taking any of them.
Coda
Since January 2019, I work in postdoc affairs at NC State University (read some about that journey here). In this role, I help postdocs think strategically about the next step in their careers. In a way, I have come full circle from my postdoc perspective this post as I am able to reflect on my own experience as a postdoc to help others during this time in their lives.
Since January 2019, I work in postdoc affairs at NC State University (read some about that journey here). In this role, I help postdocs think strategically about the next step in their careers. In a way, I have come full circle from my postdoc perspective this post as I am able to reflect on my own experience as a postdoc to help others during this time in their lives.
In a perfect world, all of the above advice should be applied to graduate students. While a grad student has additional responsibilities with classes, teaching, and research projects, they can also use their time to build skills and explore their career options. Maybe then they can avoid doing a "default" postdoc (pursuing a postdoc because they don't know what else to do after receiving a Ph.D.) and more quickly transition to a career that best leverages their skills and interests and pays them appropriately for their work.
Hopefully, though, I have made the case that if you are a graduate student who still hasn't figured out what that next career step is for you, continuing to pursue a postdoc can be a strategic stepping stone. A postdoc can allow time for further self-reflection, skill building, networking, and research productivity, all of which will serve you well in your journey toward a meaningful and fulfilling career in academia, industry, or beyond.
Further References & Readings:
Career Conversations for Researchers in the Age of COVID-19 from UCSF's Office of Career & Professional Development
The National Postdoctoral Association (NPA) has laid out 6 core competencies around effective postdoctoral training:
1. Discipline-specific conceptual knowledge
2. Research skill development
3. Communication skills
4. Professionalism
5. Leadership and management skills
6. Responsible conduct of research
NPA Postdoc Career Resources
Postdoc Academy Resources, including those around succeeding as a postdoc
More from the Reflections Blog:
NIH BEST Blog Rewind: Pondering the "next step" as a late-stage postdoctoral fellow
Career Exploration 101
Post Ph.D.-Career Plans: Consider the Possibilities
The End of Work as We Know It: How an increasingly automated world will change everything
Why you should get involved in things outside the lab/work
Career Conversations for Researchers in the Age of COVID-19 from UCSF's Office of Career & Professional Development
The National Postdoctoral Association (NPA) has laid out 6 core competencies around effective postdoctoral training:
1. Discipline-specific conceptual knowledge
2. Research skill development
3. Communication skills
4. Professionalism
5. Leadership and management skills
6. Responsible conduct of research
NPA Postdoc Career Resources
Postdoc Academy Resources, including those around succeeding as a postdoc
More from the Reflections Blog:
NIH BEST Blog Rewind: Pondering the "next step" as a late-stage postdoctoral fellow
Career Exploration 101
Post Ph.D.-Career Plans: Consider the Possibilities
The End of Work as We Know It: How an increasingly automated world will change everything
Why you should get involved in things outside the lab/work
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