If you have a PhD (or are soon to have one) and work in academia, the following question is one you’re likely to encounter (potentially several times throughout your career)…
Should my next career move be a postdoc position?
Within academia a postdoc is the default career step – the path of least resistance if you like. This is because:
- It’s the traditional career step for graduating PhDs
- Most colleagues and senior members of staff in your department would have taken this career path and can advise accordingly
- There will be a pre-established network in your field that can help you obtain postdoctoral positions
- If you’re indecisive about whether or not to pursue an academic career in the future, doing a postdoc will keep your options open
- Interest in the science that spurred you on to do a PhD in the first place will still be available in a postdoctoral job
- You’re unsure of what other roles you’d be qualified for, so you stick to the ‘path well trodden’
But here’s the rub – undertaking a postdoctoral position for any other reason than you are sure you want an academic career, can be a mistake.
Competition for permanent academic positions is fierce these days and this is well documented. It is largely due to the increased numbers of PhDs awarded annually, providing an endless supply of cheap labour to the academic marketplace.
A current conservative estimate is that at least 90% of PhD-qualified researchers will never obtain permanent academic posts. Therefore, for the vast majority of PhD graduates, an academic career is no longer a realistic option.
So 9 out of every 10 PhD-qualified researchers will need to obtain work outside of the academic sector eventually. A postdoc is not a long-term career option and within 5-10 years post-PhD, personal funding options become a lot more limited. At this point, many postdocs will need to start considering other options.
There are negative financial implications of undertaking postdoctoral research that should be considered, which I have recently commented on (Nature jobs guest blog). Post-doctoral experience is often dismissed as irrelevant for many industry positions (R&D may be an exception) and as a result, career progression outside of academia will be reduced relative to age.
So to summarise; for the vast majority of PhD graduates, postdoctoral experience will not be required for your long-term career plan and you will be financially worse off with slower career progression if you undertake a such a position.
However there are some exceptions to this, where postdoctoral experience is particularly helpful:
- If you really want to be a career academic and you think your CV will be competitive enough to get you there, post-doctoral experience for most biomedical and life science fields is now a must. I undertook postdoctoral research for this reason and found it super helpful in generating enough publications to make my CV more competitive, building my academic network, increasing my research experience and obtaining a glimpse into life as an independent researcher. So if you want to be an academic researcher don’t hesitate in undertaking postdoctoral research, but try to get yourself into the most highly respected labs in your field, which will improve your chances in obtaining funding in the long-term. Furthermore, finding funding for your own postdoctoral funding will help with this and will look great on your academic CV
- Although rare, postdoctoral training might help you obtain the necessary techniques and expertise for some industry jobs. This can be true for niche areas of research in R&D labs for example
- If you’re unsure about a long-term career in academia, a short postdoc post-PhD might provide you with the necessary exposure to help you decide. I would advise however that you aim to make up your mind before taking up a second postdoctoral position. The academic system will most likely not provide you with plenty of time and support for career planning, so you’ll need to put the effort in yourself and you should ideally start this process well in advance of your contract finishing, so that you have time to work out your optimal next step
- Because it’s far easier as a PhD graduate to obtain a postdoctoral position than other types of jobs without experience, undertaking postdoctoral training can be a relatively easy way to move abroad and establish a base in that country
Agree with the above? Are there other reasons that might affect your decision to undertake postdoctoral research? If so, please leave your comments below…
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“at least 90% of PhD-qualified researchers will never obtain permanent academic posts.” This captures it very well. Be skeptical of your own judgment that you will be the exception. Consider getting the opinion of someone objective. This takes a moment and can be an excellent investment.
Great advice. One thing I would like to add to above is, to take advantage of university career counseling services and talk to them one-on-one. Talk to as many career counselors as you can, to find the right fit because we tend to take our skills for granted and having an objective opinion helps a lot. Second, take an hour or two each week to do something that you really enjoy doing. It could be a creative hobby, a volunteering opportunity, for instance. The bottomline is, to explore more job opportunities and create a wider social network, than you think is possible at the moment.