I am new to this forum. I am currently getting my PhD in biological sciences and I love what I do. But my PhD life is not going as well as I wanted it to. I have 3 co-authored papers but am waiting for a 1st author publication. I get depressed thinking I still do not have one. Having to change the project a couple of times things have been moving at a glacial pace. Also, I have a year to finish, I am starting my 5th year. I am at a point where I have mentally prepared myself to finish all my experiments this year, so I can start writing and finish by the same time next year.

I am not willing to be in academia 10 years down the line and I know for sure that I do not want to teach. Hence the dilemma if I should do a post doctorate or not? I am interested to finally live a life and start working. It has been 8 years since I moved to the US and I have a masters and will now finish my PhD, hopefully with a paper but, should I go in for a post doc or not? Can I not find other jobs in the industry? I feel I am ready to learn something new and different.

Please advise. Thank you

hi Chopsticks20
welcome to the forum! Its great that you have 3 co-authored papers. I don't even have any papers--I wrote 3 but they were rejected; I spent so much time correcting, changing etc.etc.; now I have to speed up my writing, as I really have to finish this phd.
So actually, there are others worse off than you :-)

please don't feel down about your 1st author paper not happening yet :-)

I have friends doing postdoc; and they do it because they haven't found jobs (!). It's like a cycle, one post doc after another. but then again, this is only restricted to less than 10 people (my friends!). That said, I have a friend who got a job immediately after her phd (and she wasn't even interested in postdocs). I guess it will come to you, whatever happens :-)

good news is that you will have one last year.

now you are only thinking to go down that line (of post doc) or not! In my opinion, if you feel that you are ready to learn something new and different, doing a postdoc or getting a job shouldn't be any different. Why don't you worry about this later.

Who knows you might find a job--and like it. Or you might find a post-doc and decide you want to do something else!
Why worry about it? Just enjoy your last year of phd, as you said you love what you do (and you are obviously GOOD at it!).

Nearer to the time you finish (your phd) you will definitely have a clearer picture of where you are heading.
love satchi

Chopsticks - I've read your post a few times and wondered why you were considering a postdoc? Is it because you want to 'redeem' the PhD somehow because of the lack of a first author publication? Or do you feel it's a failure to leave academia? Or a guilt trip from your supervisor? If it's any of those reasons, don't go for the postdoc. Unless there's some reason why a postdoc is expected to get the jobs you want, I can't see how it would be beneficial on the basis of what you write. Apply for the industry jobs you want - you'll be happier doing that than continuing on a career path you don't want. We only get one life - you need to be happy.

Hi Chopsticks,

I think you have been given some excellent replies and want to add my own perspective. I'm currently working fulltime and doing the doctorate part-time and have come full circle with my thinking about why I want a doctorate and what it is about the doctorate that I value.

When I started this, I was making up for lost time, having gone into teaching as a profession because I needed to support my family and I felt that I couldn't afford academia given that I already had children who were dependent on me. So I started this doctorate after many years with the hope that academia might still be a possibility. I am glad that I am doing this PhD, it is worthwhile and it has given me a real perspective on my own profession that I don't think that I would have developed otherwise.

However, I don't want to continue with academia beyond this course of study, and for me it will be the final 'full on-full time' course of higher ed that I do (other than little fun courses like how to cook paella or something or short professional learning courses for my workplace).

I'm enjoying the process but actually will be really (really!!) glad when it is done. I plan to use this in my profession so that I can write and research and publish, but from the perspective of an expert practitioner not so much an academic. Not that I don't admire academics, I do...I just know that for me it isn't what I ultimately want. It no longer seems to me something that I 'missed out on' but something that I chose not to do for very sound reasons-even if those choices were unconscious at the time.

People do PhD's for so many reasons-to make a contribution to knowledge, to situate themselves in their professional career, to pursue a private dream, to become a practising reseacher and; or to become an academic. These are all valid reasons. I would be thinking that in your case, along with Bewildered, that perhaps you should try the industry pathway-it isn't always the 'second best' option. I thought that Bewildered made some really insightful perceptions about why you were drawn to the postdoc. Good luck with your choices-good decision making isn't black and white or linear for all of us. It is often circular and reiterative-which makes it really frustrating at times :-)