by TF » Fri Jan 28, 2005 9:26 am
I appreiate the help everyone has given. I may look into the marketing thing. I just hate doing experiments. If I postdoc I don't think I will be able to avoid doing this. The other issue is the postdoc itself. If I go to industry, I will be stuck doing e-phys, which I am just not cut out to do. I interviewed for a post-doc at a large pharm company and I definitely would be doing experiments. In fact, the post-docs at said company are apparently the people responsible for doing the "pie in the sky" research that the regular employees can't do. Now not all companies are like this, I know, but, having no molecular experience, I find it very difficult to even find openings for e-phys post-docs in industry.
If I stayed in academia, I would leave e-phys and my current field of pain research, and try something molecular, dealing with psychiatric illness. However, I know from experience I am not good at learning experimental procedures on my own. I have a feeling many good labs would just tell me to do basically get to work and learn stuff on my own. I basically don't feel prepared for an academic post-doc. Besides, what good lab is going to hire someone who has no aspirations top continue on to being a professor, or at the very least their own laboratory in industry? I don't think very many.
Hmmmm, I may just work at Walmart instead. The pay is probably about similar to what I make now as a grad student and it's about as tedious as well! I probably should not have gotten a Ph.D, but I do really enjoy the concepts and information of science. See ya at the check out counter in your local grocery store!