Two years go I made the decision step away from industry to begin a two year postdoc. This was the perfect opportunity to test out life as an academic, and I was lucky enough to have gotten the role in a brilliant sounding project. This month, as the project comes to an end, I am looking back over some of the laughs and learnings of Postdoc Life, and hopefully give some tips on industry vs. academia as a career path.
Highlights:
For anyone considering moving into the world of academia, a postdoc is the ideal gateway following a PhD. Where a PhD aims to give you the toolkit to become an independent researcher, during a postdoc you truly must learn to stand on your own two feet and forge out your future career. Here are a few of the reasons I took the decision to move from Industry into research:
Science, science, science : I have a confession to make. I am a science geek. If you are one too, then getting a postdoc project you actually care about makes for great science and a happy soul. Industry jobs have their perks, but you are constrained to rush through projects in the interests of making money for shareholders. For those with a curious mind, a postdoc allows you to spend the time on research that it deserves.
More Outreach and Impact : Becoming an independent researcher allows you to take control of sharing the work your are doing. I specifically chose a project with direct impact for the general public of the UK, with all the results being made available open access. This allowed me to be open and engaged with any companies or stakeholders interested in the work, and increased the profile of the work. Working in industry, talking about your work is a breach of contract and gives away competitive intelligence. For someone passionate about science, keeping my lips sealed was torture!
Lifestyle : First let me make it clear, I was very much aware that the world of academia is hard work. In industry, there is a culture of leaving the office at 5pm and not looking at emails until 9am the next day. This is not the norm in academic roles. However, the flexible working hours worked really well for me. I moved my working hours to 10 - 6.30. Last minute long weekends were no problem. The odd 2 hour lunch on a sunny day wasn't the end of the world. But, you are prepared to do a long shift when it is needed!
The sun doesn't shine all the time
So I may have adored my project, and the people I worked with. I loved the independence and being able to have the time to complete a good, robust piece of science. But I warn you now, a life of academia is not for the faint hearted. Here are some of the low-lights I experienced over the project.
"No I am not a student": Being an early career scientist affiliated with a University means that a LOT of people assume you are a student. It is an uphill struggle to get your scientific input heard and taken on board.
Job Applications Galore : The short fixed-term contract nature of postdoctoral work means there is always a looming worry about securing the next research position. Combine this with the intense peer competition (only 10% of early career researchers make it into permanent University positions - see the graph below) and you have a recipe for stress!
Independence can be lonely : One thing I really missed was working as part of a team. All research groups are different of course, but by working on a project myself, I did miss the collaboration of working towards a goal together. I found in Industry, everyone was working towards a common goal: to make the company successful. Academia is very different, with each researcher or group competing for funding. This makes collaboration and knowledge sharing more challenging.
Words of Wisdom
It has been a whirlwind couple of years that have sped past. Now as I reflect on the learnings, I thought it would be useful to compile some of the advice I wish I had received on the first day of my Postdoc:
Get your name out there early. Publishing papers in peer reviewed journals is a very long process, and you are likely to be well finished your postdoc position by the time a paper hits the press. Therefore use conferences, workshops, social media or any means you can think of to let the world know what you are working on and to meet the people who can advise on your research. Don't be scared to present even if you don't have final results or products.
Negotiate early with your line manager for dedicated time away from your research for career development. A mutual acceptance with both your manager and colleagues that you will step away from the desk to attend seminars, complete outreach activities and additional training. Do a Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice. This is a 2 year part time course that most universities will run and support and give you the qualifications and skills to pursue your next position. Supervise a student project. All these will develop your CV and increase your employability.
Start applying for funding from day one. By pulling together an independent research project proposal, you will become familiar with the main funders, timescales, and the process. More importantly, once you have your research idea(s), get a mentor in the field to refine your research proposal and start building a network of collaborators. Research proposals take time and practice. Learn from early failures to make your proposal count when you need it.
A career in academia is not for everyone. You need to completely adore your research and be hugely driven to succeed, while being very resilient to failure. You must juggle research with other responsibilities: paper writing, teaching, funding proposals, networking, the list goes on and on! Industry offers a brilliant alternative career. However, if you are leaping into a research role, I hope these words of wisdom help you on the way to a permanent role in a University! If you have any other advice to add to the list do share!
--- Happy Exploring ---
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