Every other day you read a post lamenting the state of “science” careers, and almost always that is synonymous with a career that points to a tenure-track academic position. There is a lot of frustration with that situation, with graduate students and postdocs unhappy with the state of affairs.
With all due apologies, science != academic science. Join a startup, or start one. There are jobs out there in pharma and biotech and any number of startups that would benefit from quality researchers. Not for everyone, but neither is academic science. As someone who’s never been in academia (I consider a PhD education), and enjoyed pretty much every minute, it’s frustrating to see science being equated to one particular path, especially by those who should be guiding our career paths.
So I reiterate – join a startup, or at least think about it. Sure, there isn’t any job security, but it’s a great learning op and chances are you’ll do something very interesting and learn a little bit about the business world.
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7 Comments
A large part of the problem is that for people in academia, it's very difficult to get good objective advice about alternatives. Most of your mentors are successful academics who enjoy (or at least, have convinced themselves that they enjoy) the environment. They either have no other experience or cannot understand why you are considering alternatives!
So my additional advice: you will have to explore the alternatives yourself. Read widely (especially blogs), talk to people with non-academic science jobs, subscribe to appropriate job post lists.
Even if you are willing to join a start-up, the big question — for me anyway — is: do they take you? Many start-ups are already tight on the budget and taking an “outsider” from academia, with little or no experience in “commercial” science will certainly be a big risk for them. So joining a real start-up (not an an already big company, hiring anyone anyway) might only happen if you have the right connections, which the average postgrad might lack. So Is this a real alternative for all or just an option for the well connected and lucky ?
They do. It depends on their needs, the state of the market. I joined my first startup a couple of weeks after I defended my thesis, and wasn't the only fresh grad there. There are other examples of grad students and postdocs joining startups. Yes networking helps, but it helps in any job, including finding your next postdoc, or even a faculty position, and shouldn't be minimized, but it's not a prerequisite. And the best networking ops are conferences.
I agree. There are options like in the UK such a GRAD school or Biotech YES. I've taken advantage of both of these during my PhD and recommend them to other UK students.
GRAD school allowed be to learn other skills not common in science, and Biotech YES was a simulation for creating a biotech startup.
Its a great point, I love start ups, and you're right, there is never any job security. However, given all the layoffs we are seeing in “established” companies, I don't know we can say they are more secure.
I agree. There are options like in the UK such a GRAD school or Biotech YES. I've taken advantage of both of these during my PhD and recommend them to other UK students.
GRAD school allowed be to learn other skills not common in science, and Biotech YES was a simulation for creating a biotech startup.
Its a great point, I love start ups, and you're right, there is never any job security. However, given all the layoffs we are seeing in “established” companies, I don't know we can say they are more secure.