The news is finally out. For months, I had been unable to tell my adviser that I was seriously considering something other than the postdoc position everyone expected me to pursue in academe. So I broke the news in a report to my thesis committee by tacking on a cryptic phrase: "It is with some disappointment that I realize that I am not willing to make the all-consuming personal commitment required to pursue a career in academic science. I am beginning to explore my options outside of academia, and hope to find an environment where I can utilize my skills."
In the past, I had strongly suspected that none of my committee members read my thesis reports. Apparently, this was not the case. As a doctoral student in the biological sciences at a major research institution, I am supposed to want an academic career. The suggestion that I might break with expectations brought blizzards of advice crashing upon me from many sources.
First, my adviser. He alternated between assuring me that he didn't want to pressure me into any specific choice and insisting that I will live a life filled with sadness and regret if I don't do an academic postdoc. He assured me that I was slamming many doors of opportunity shut, never to be opened again. He waxed poetic about the beauty and joy of an academic life (shortly thereafter, he stormed through the lab complaining about a course he was teaching). He warned me that there was little chance for independent research in an industry position (I wasn't so impertinent as to point out that there is no time left over for independent investigation while working for him). He urged me to "take my time" and consider my options carefully because I shouldn't make "a big mistake" at this point in my career. I was ready to give in and do as I was told.
Second to put in her opinion was one of the deans of my program. She suggested that I consider a postdoc in a well-established lab, set reasonable work hours, and try to have a normal life. The idea of a normal life that includes some amount of free time is appealing, although I'm not entirely sure that my next P.I. would be happy with a postdoc who worked half time (i.e., a 40-hour workweek). She assured me that she had decided to switch from an all-day, all-night schedule in graduate school to an 8-to-5 model as a postdoc. However, working that reduced schedule meant that she had never sought a position as a principal investigator on a grant or worked as a group leader of a project in the lab where she was a postdoc.
Neither my adviser, my dean, my fellow students, nor various Web forums have managed to convince me that academic postdocs are anything more than graduate school without the courses. I would be working in a new lab, and would perhaps learn some new techniques, but no one was able to explain to me why taking a postdoc position in academe was a prerequisite for an industry position.
In fact, I located an industrial scientist who had never done an academic postdoc and called him for an informational interview. Dr. Happily Employed (at a product-development company) buoyed my hopes. As a graduate student he had posted his CV with a placement service and landed a first job at a small biotech company. He had since worked his way through a series of other smaller and larger biotechs to his current position directing product development. He encouraged me to get out in the business world where I could play a role in making real products. This sounded exciting!
Next, I indulged in a bit of nepotism. One of my uncles is a chemist-turned-middle-manager at Big Pharma. He offered to pass my résumé around, and initially seemed pretty upbeat. My hopes were dampened, however, when he shared the news that he had just survived the most recent round of musical-chair layoffs at his company. Apparently, it has become a trend for companies to announce that everyone is laid off; a number of positions are removed, and all employees have a chance to reapply for the remaining jobs. If your previous position is gone, you look for others within the company -- along with everyone else whose job was eliminated. I'm sure that this is someone's idea of maintaining a competitive environment. However, if positions are being cut, I'm not sure there is much slack to take on a new Ph.D.
My Big Pharma uncle also gave me the name of a recruiter who had successfully placed him and a number of other people he knew. Ms. Recruiter was kind enough to talk with me on the phone, but she immediately began lamenting the state of the economy, describing hiring freezes (in addition to musical-chair layoffs) at big companies and cash shortages at small biotechs. I sent her my résumé, but I haven't heard a thing. I'm not holding my breath -- after all, many people have told me that companies are reluctant to pay headhunting fees in a market where there are so many job seekers.
After talking to my uncle and his recruiter, I lost the hope gained from my conversation with Dr. Happily Employed. However, my mood was significantly improved by a meeting with the members of my thesis committee. They had decided that I should defend my thesis this March and then continue as a postdoc (with a 50-percent raise!) until I lined up my next position. Happily, my committee members invited me to speak with them individually about my career plans rather than ganging up on me.
Getting the green light for graduation was a good thing, because my husband had gotten a big red light a few days later. We knew that his employer was in a downward spiral, but the company president announced that the doors would close in May. Suddenly, my husband and I had a lot more motivation to decide on our next move.
We had already decided that we were through with expensive East Coast living, and my programmer husband was leery of joining the unemployed hordes on the West Coast. We quickly narrowed our list of acceptable locations to two -- the Research Triangle in North Carolina and a midsize Midwestern city, home of our alma mater.
North Carolina has lots of big pharmaceutical companies and some small biotechs; Midwestern City doesn't. What Midwestern City does have is a good research university, a few companies, and the things in life that really matter: family close by, friends even closer, good job opportunities for my husband, high quality of living, and the feeling of being at home. Still, I lobbied for North Carolina. But my husband argued (rightfully) that I had promised that he would decide our next destination, since he was the trailing spouse in our current location. I will be able to find some sort of position there, although there are fewer options.
The same day that we received the news of impending unemployment, one of my committee members asked to meet with me. I'll call him Zeus, which encompasses his high position of leadership, imposing stature, and the potent mixture of fear and respect he commands from everyone at my institution.
I wasn't sure what Zeus was going to say about my resistance to academe. Rather than thunderbolts, he cast rainbows. Zeus acknowledged the oversupply problems in the academic job market, but he encouraged me not to give up on myself. Of his own accord, Zeus suggested that my husband should select our next destination, and then Zeus would help me to find an appropriate position. Unlike the others who had advocated academic postdocs, Zeus was able to cite a number of specific examples of how postdoc experience led to good positions in industry. Zeus has a great deal of experience on scientific advisory boards of small and large companies, and was able to describe the career trajectories of a number of scientists.
I hadn't thought that I was much more to Zeus than an obligation to attend thesis-committee meetings. I feel deeply fortunate that he has taken an interest in my fate, and that he can provide savvy advice on choosing a position (postdoc or otherwise) that will open a path for me in industry. I'm not sure why Zeus has decided to step down from the clouds and become Mentor to me (a mere mortal), but I am glad.
The excitement of a new destination has begun to seep in. We spent a snowy Saturday goggling at real estate on the Internet. In Midwestern City, we probably will be able to buy an actual house. I have a date on Zeus's calendar to discuss the options that I've found in Midwestern City, and I'm excited about the next step.
