Introducing “Post-PhD Career” blog series at TalkPlant

Towards the end of my PhD, like all PhD students, I was left with two options: carry on working in research; or start a non-academic career. Even though I very well knew that I was only extending a road that led to a dead-end, I ended up taking up a job as a postdoctoral scientist.

There were good reasons for me to take up a job in research, too. I loved science — and still do, although not the labwork part — and had an incredibly enjoyable experience in my PhD, so it made sense to stay and do science for a bit longer. After living off a PhD stipend, I was facing financial hardship, and a modest postdoctoral salary seemed lucrative at the time.

And above all, I didn’t know what else I could do, so staying in science bought me some extra time before figuring out my next move. Or so I thought, without realising that I would end up in the same situation three years down the line. At the end of my postdoctoral research contract, I still didn’t have a clue on the non-academic career possibilities.

(If you want to read about how I got out of academia in more detail, I’ve summarised them here and here.)

If I had the option to go back with all the knowledge I have now, I’d still extend my research career, mainly because I loved my PhD and my postdoctoral experience.