I’m taking a break from digital professionalism this month
to consider an issue which is currently dominating PhD / Post Doc discussions
on twitter – Career options for Post docs and where you fit Post PhD.
In the week before Christmas I had a couple of long,
somewhat analytical and at times teary conversations with my boss about being
unsure of where I ‘fit’ post-PhD. This was in part to do with the adjustment to
starting a new job and part to do with being in this weird PhD Postdoc
transitionary period where you have to find your feet on the other side of
academia. When I started my PhD I didn’t think too much about the end result. I
just expected for my career to be in academia and automatically associated
academia with more research and lecturing. Thus when I finished I was full of
happiness but also bemused about what to do next. There was a distinct lack of
research jobs and although I applied and was interviewed for a seemingly
endless number of positions I got sick of coming a ‘very close second’ etc.
although in my head I was still expecting to go PhD post doc or two then
lectureship. My PhD is from a Russell Group institution where the focus is on
research and developing international, highly qualified researchers. Thus the
way I had been brought up academically through my university career I saw this
as the natural trajectory.
....
