[MEDIA] Three bad reasons to do a postdoc

Three bad reasons to do a postdoc

Lucy feels a wave of relief rush over her. She just passed her Ph.D. defense; her long journey in grad school is finally over. She’s not sure where her path will take her next, but she’s not worrying about that for now.

As she and Thomas, her adviser, walk away from the exam room, he excitedly says, “Linsey told me she has an open postdoc position in her lab.” Linsey had served as the external examiner during Lucy’s defense, and she was impressed by Lucy’s research and knowledge. “She thinks it would be a good fit for you.”

“I am not sure if I want to do a postdoc,” Lucy responds meekly.

“What’s the matter with you?” Thomas says playfully, thinking that Lucy is joking. After all, Linsey is at the top of Thomas’s private list of “Young Scientists Most Likely to Win the Nobel Prize.” And she is a fantastic person: smart, humble, respectful—someone who would be a great mentor.

An awkward silence follows. “You need a postdoc to become a professor,” Thomas blurts out [Read more].