Comments on: Pondering a future without a pedigree

By: JaneDoh

JaneDoh — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 21:03:06 +0000

Late to the party, but another research option is to try to get a job at a National Lab. Do well there, and it is definitely possible to move into academia at an R1-type school, regardless of prior pedigree.

By: Chemists R Evil

Chemists R Evil — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 02:22:26 +0000

“It was written poorly, confusing and circular. I’ve tried to clean it up and am tempted to just delete it.”

Sorry Kyle, you’ve been cached! Google’s got it forever.

http://74.125.155.132/search?q.....&gl=us

By: Hexanes

Hexanes — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 01:12:10 +0000

Your boss doesn’t need to have a Nobel prize to help you get a good position. They just have to be well known and have a good reputation in the field. In academia, at least, the reputation of your boss follows you around. If you boss is known as a nice person, somehow that gets casts on you a little bit if you are actually nice or not.

So, no, your boss doesn’t need to have a Nobel to help you out. He just needs to have a good reputation in the field (famous).

By: uncle sam

uncle sam — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 21:59:32 +0000

Uhhhh, it sounds like your pedigree is better than mine. And if I publish a couple of JCAS in my postdoc I could probably get an assistant professor job if I really wanted to. So, um… stop whining. Just apply for jobs and see how you do.

If you don’t see yourself doing anything else, then don’t worry. You can always lie to your loved ones and current bosses if you don’t have any firm future plans and make some shit up to get them off your back / a good reference. “Yes Professor Blank, I have considered a position in academia and after some serious thinking I decided it would be the best fit for me since I can work on my ideas and teach at the same time. Both things that I really enjoy. It’s one of the reasons why I decided to join your group”. or “Don’t worry dear, if I don’t get an offer in the first six month of next year I won’t do a second postdoc. I’ll probably get a research job at that Pharma company close to your parents’ place”.

My favorite one though, was “Yes grandma, I know it’s not normal for a young man my age to live alone for so long without a girlfriend. But right now I’m a chemistry Ph.D. student and my apartment is kind of small and I don’t have a lot of free time and money for that. I’m entirely focused on my degree. What? Yes, I stopped playing video games completely. I don’t have time for that stuff. When I’m done, I’ll be desired by many women due to having a very large income and a nice house/car. What? No, don’t worry, I won’t pick the first one that latches onto my money and professorial fame, I’ll take the time to choose wisely. Yes, someone intelligent and who can cook. Of course.”

Unfortunately, it gets a lot harder to use that one when you start the postdoc due to built-up expectations… Anyways, you’d think one of the best female doctors in her country during the harsh after-WW2 years would be less ‘old-fashioned’.

By: AlchemX

AlchemX — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 17:19:48 +0000

I second that!

By: DrSnowboard

DrSnowboard — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 15:46:34 +0000

Nah, she just ran a crystal meth lab to GLP..And lied to you.

The penny share to early retirement route has worked in the past, however, you have to gamble that the IPO window is open when you need it, and/or the product /project keeps looking good past your lock-in, otherwise you’re looking at penny shares again. Unless you are the CFO, then you always cash in.

By: Kyle Finchsigmate

Kyle Finchsigmate — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 04:13:35 +0000

I wouldn’t work for a start up unless I were offered stock options as part of the sign up when the company went public. I’d gladly take worthless shares and cash them in for a sweet retirement when the product hits the market.

That’s how mummy retired at 43…

By: THX1138

THX1138 — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 02:47:00 +0000

I’ve thought a lot about this too, even whilst sober. My best remedy is to publish a couple papers in Science and Nature. Although these things are exceptionally rare, they are more likely to happen when you are postdocing on the big stage.

By: d

Sun, 09 Aug 2009 05:10:18 +0000

“Working for a small startup can be very exciting. If you (and your company) succeed you will get recognition. Working hours and deadlines might be even crazier than academia. Of course in the end you will get acquired by big pharma.”

Many a start-up company was founded by a Prof, so the atmosphere is often, unless the Venture Capitalists keep a close eye, not that different from academia.

What happens to the scientists, who developed the exciting new technology/product, when the start-up gets acquired by a big chemical/pharmaceutical company? Will they be offered jobs in the big one?

By: Jack Bauer

Jack Bauer — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 00:05:26 +0000

If Big Pharma is a shit-hole, then what’s the point of getting a PHD in organic chemistry in the first place? We all can’t be professors.