Hello all,

This might be a bit of a ramble so be patient,

I’m a final year PhD student studying chemistry and nanoscience. I have about 4 months left of funding but I expect it will take me 6+ months to finish up in the lab and submit. For the first time I actually need to think about what to do with my life after I leave uni which is a little overwhelming to say the least.

The first question is whether or not to do a postdoc or not? Currently, like many people here, I have a love hate relationship with research, mainly because my experiments are not working and while finishing up in these last few months I have had next to no social life. More than anything when I finish I want relax and not do something too strenuous, in fact maybe for a month or two I feel like I might need to work in a café, or maybe just sit in a quiet room staring vacantly out of the window until I feel a little better about life.

After this short break I am considering doing a postdoc, though I am not sure if this is a good idea. Firstly, I am almost certain that I do not want to go into academia and not even sure I want to stay in science, but I am young(ish), single, and am extremely enthusiastic about escaping the british rain and living in a sunny country for a while.

The idea of doing a postdoc for a year appeals to me as it will be a short term contract (1 year hopefully) and I can work in a lab somewhere interesting. I figure that as I know I don’t want to stay in academia this postdoc job could be quite relaxed as there will be no pressure to publish. Also, I feel like being in a collage/uni environment there might be more opportunity to socialise and not become a lonely isolated expat.

Do you think this is a good idea or am I fooling myself into thinking it will be an easy job for a year? Also, would it be feasible to take off some time before I do a postdoc job (max 6-7 months) or should you go straight into research?

The other option is to leave academia completely, but go into what, I have no idea. I would eventually like to do something intellectually stimulating in science but not soul destroying (so no academic research) , ideally 40 hours a week, and also something which I feel like is having a positive impact on the world. I know I’m being vague but if anyone has any suggestions I am all ears. I just have no idea what kind of sectors people go into with PhDs in science. (apart from finance which I have no interest in)

Thanks!

Anyone able to help zilali?

Well, after plenty of soul searching, you may decide that your willpower means nothing after all. Postdocs don't grow on trees, and jobs are limited out there. Before you panic, take a deep breath and then start applying for anything takes you fancy, from postdocs to your dream job out there, or volunteering abroad for a few months. One of the lessons that I have learned in the 35 years of my life is that nothing ever goes according to plan. It's all a matter of timing.

Just trust yourself and your instincts, and never apply for anything you wouldn't enjoy doing. Otherwise, if it sounds good, go for it!

Good luck!

I'd say if you see an interesting postdoc in a location you'd like to live in for a while, go for it. Depending on the boss there, you may or may not get constant grief for not publishing, but if you can ignore that and be happy in a new location, then try it. On the other hand, as someone who has hired a postdoc in for a short term contract, I'd be furious if I ended up hiring someone who didn't give a toss about the job, as there is a hell of a lot of work to get done in a short time on many research grants, and other postdocs/early career academics very often rely on good support from co-workers to aid in publishing and developing a research group.
If you don't want to go into academia, then there's no point hanging on. For all the other career options open to you, there are hundreds of other people who have actually spent years training for those jobs too, so it's not simply a case of doing something else, you may have to take time working your way up and getting new skills to do something else, so I'd just get stuck in.