Okay, yes, that’s a cheeky headline. You probably aren’t wrong about postdocs 🙂
But a lot of folks do have mistaken views about postdocs.
What are common misconceptions about postdoc positions and the people who hold them?
I asked this question last week on Twitter (tweet) and got lots of great responses. This is my attempt to categorize them and provide a few explainers:
- Postdocs are students (and have access to student benefits)
- Postdocs are trainees (and receive training and mentorship from advisors)
- Postdocs are staff members (and receive benefits like other employees)
Correction: Administratively and legally (according to university policies and government tax codes, for example), postdocs may be classified as students or trainees, but there’s a lot of variety here. Fun fact: At least in Canada, no one can tell you how many postdocs there even are, because there are so many different classifications and administrative bodies involved.
- Postdocs are treated as fully-fledged researchers and scholars
- Postdocs are a step-up from grad students in terms of academic hierarchies
Correction: Language and culture matters, and impacts how postdocs are treated by university staff and faculty members. Many do not have access to important support and other resources available to students and/or staff.
- A postdoc isn’t a real job
- Postdocs have no responsibilities beyond research and publishing
- Postdoc positions all have similar working conditions
Correction: There are different kinds of postdoc positions, from “here’s all this money, enjoy” to what are just full-time jobs that happen to be classified as postdocs for whatever administrative reason. Most postdocs treat their positions as full-time jobs, no matter what words are used.
- Postdocs are well paid / poorly paid
- Postdocs don’t need to earn good salaries
Correction: Many postdocs earn (way) less than their peers in comparable non-postdoc positions, but there’s a lot of variety, and some postdocs are able to negotiate raises for themselves. Some postdocs have student loans to pay off, and can no longer delay doing so. Many have families to support, increasing expenses compared to younger graduate students. Moving expenses, visa costs, childcare, renting in big cities… the costs add up fast.
- Postdocs are planning for academic (faculty) careers
- The majority of postdocs will go on to academic (faculty) careers
- Doing a postdoc is a good career move (the precarity and stress are worth it)
Correction: Not all postdocs are committed to pursuing academic careers. There are also “industry” postdocs, which function more like (well-) paid internships or entry-level positions for scientists and other researchers at companies and non-profit organizations. A significant number of postdocs will not wind up in full-time, tenure-track faculty roles at research-oriented institutions. Postdoctoral experience is rarely required or expected outside academia.