Overview of Sid on PostgraduateForum.com

Overview of Sid

Signup date: 06 Jul 2022 at 1:28pm

Last login: 07 Jul 2022 at 8:52pm

Post count: 3

Recent Posts

Postdoctoral position: is it too late?

Sid 3 posts
2 years ago

Quote From fallenonion:
That seems a bit defeatist to me. Couldn't you try reconnecting with your former colleagues? Drop them an email and explain. They might have something for you. Are there research projects you can get involved in? Why not just skip the post doc and look for lecturer jobs? Go and work in an FE college, then try and work your way into HE.

I'm in a different subject area admittedly. But persistence pays off. Colleagues openly laughed at me when I said I wanted to be an academic, and I only had a masters. But I'd worked with universities and had research ideas. Took a chance on a short term contract and turned it into something better through hard work. Do some blogging about your subject, try and get your name out there

I have to do a Master's to be able to work as a professor, even if it's an assistant. I also need some research experience (I have none, besides the PhD and three months I worked as a technician).

My former thesis supervisors don't answer emails (two of them cut contact with me after I read the thesis). Other researchers I have worked closely with won't accept me unless I get a grant, and I think this is almost impossible.

I think I have ruined my career due to bad choices. What terrifies me is the effort and time I wasted doing a PhD. All for nothing.

Postdoctoral position: is it too late?

Sid 3 posts
2 years ago

Quote From tru:
Hi, Sid,

This may be hard to swallow, but you have totally missed the boat. Usually the first postdoc is obtained immediately after the PhD with help from the PhD supervisor. You have no relationship with your supervisor or colleagues, so essentially no reference. You have worked as a lab technician in a school for the last 4 years, not producing any publication or getting any grant during that time. Usually, mid career is 5 years post PhD, so you are nearly at the mid career stage already. I am sorry, but you are not competitive at all for any future grant or academic position.

Could you try exploring other non-academic options? There will be something for you, even if it's not in academia

What a big disaster... yes I could explore teaching in a school, but I have to do a Master's for that.

I don't have any contact with my bosses. Two of them didn't even congratulate me after I defended my thesis. The other one hasn't replied my last emails asking her if we can start writing together a research article. I don't have much contact with other colleagues.

I don't have much options in academia because I am too mediocre and my network is non-existent. This is very difficult to fix.

Postdoctoral position: is it too late?

Sid 3 posts
2 years ago

Hi,

I am a bit lost at the moment. I found this forum, and I thought that maybe some of you could offer me some advice.

I finished my PhD in Biology in 2018. Since then, I've worked as a laboratory technician two times. I have also applied for several postdoctoral positions, but they haven't contacted me after the interview. After so many years, maybe it's a bit too late for me to do a postdoc.

I am now seriously considering quitting my current job as a laboratory technician in a school. Not only is the salary low, but I have to do a lot of chores that have nothing to do with my job (printing, cleaning the floor, booking trips...).

I have no relationship with my thesis supervisors nor PhD colleagues. I contacted once a university from Denmark where I spent three months during the PhD, but they told me they wouldn't hire me unless I got a Marie Curie grant.

I only have three publications and no postdoctoral research experience, so I think that there is no point in applying for a grant because you have to be so brilliant to get one.

When it comes to offers, I search in this page and also in "academic positions". Do you know other similar pages where I can find postdoctoral positions?

Thank you,

Sid