There is only one publicly available survey about the mental well-being of postdocs.Ĭonducted by The University of Texas at Austin, the survey found that many postdocs struggle with high levels of anxiety and only 13% of postdocs felt that they were flourishing. Yet, few academics talk about how awful the situation actually is. It’s not a secret that postdocs are undervalued. (If you have already done a postdoc or are already doing a postdoc, you can still use your postdoc experience to become a top job candidate, so don’t stress out.) There’s a lot of misinformation out there about postdoctoral positions.īut the bottom line is, an academic postdoc is bad for your career and no one is talking about why. Why No One Is Telling You The Truth About Your Postdoc I was determined to transition out of academia and find the industry position that was right for me. The grass really was greener on the other side. Why had no one told me about this industry option before? Why did I think that the only future for me was to do a postdoc? Industry was like another world, where PhDs were well-paid for their work and many held management and leadership positions at their companies. With the thought of working in academia as a postdoc for six more years looming over me, I was determined to see what other opportunities were out there. I did not want to stay in academia any longer than I had to, but everyone was saying that PhDs were supposed to do postdocs. The postdocs were underpaid, overworked, and variable grant funding meant they had very little job security. When I looked around, the postdocs in my lab seemed just as miserable as I was. What was I going to do when I finally finished? It was unclear when I would be able to graduate.īut getting to graduation was just the first step. I was depressed and the stress of working in a negative academic environment had given me a chronic inflammatory disorder. I had a terrible relationship with my advisor and had spent the better part of six years trying to earn my degree.
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