Category Archives: transitions

The Six Month Postdoc Evaluation

Posted on July 2, 2018 by ragamuffinphd

I started an academic postdoc position 6 months ago, as a new mom reeling partly from maternity leave and partly from the conditions of leaving my previous postdoc. When I started this position, I wrote about how terrified and isolated … Continue reading →

Posted in academia, busy moms, early career scientist, female scientist, mentoring, postdoc, scientist mom, transitions, Women in STEM, work-life balance | 1 Comment

The hardest semester of my life

Posted on November 30, 2017 by SweetScience

Don’t worry, this post isn’t a complaint. I had the hardest semester of my life but I got something great out of it. I started a new job this fall – one of my top-choice careers, at one of my … Continue reading →

Posted in academia, alternative career, confidence, dream job, early career scientist, education, finishing postdoctoral training, flexibility, gratitude, happiness, Illness, letting go, new job, no regrets, part time work, strengths and weaknesses, teaching, transitions, uncertainty | 2 Comments

When Your Pregnancy is a Job Hunt, or The Amazing Community of Women in Science Part II

Posted on August 17, 2017 by ragamuffinphd

Several months ago, I wrote about the experience of being 5 months pregnant and told that my postdoctoral mentor was leaving our institution. This was my chance to leave my oppressive pit of a working environment without burning any bridges. … Continue reading →

Posted in academia, biotech, bosses, early career scientist, female scientist, industry, Interview, job search, postdoc, transitions, women in science | 3 Comments

Job Interview Questions

Posted on August 14, 2017 by Curiouser&Curiouser

When I was first interviewing for jobs I got the question “what are your career goals?”  The question was something I had given a lot of thought to but I’d never actually transferred these ideas into an interview appropriate answer … Continue reading →

Posted in academia, advice, alternative career, biotech, communication styles, confidence, dream job, industry, industry vs academia, Interview, job search, new job, pharma, postdoc, presenting, professional, start up, transitions | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

A year of saying NO

Posted on April 11, 2017 by SweetScience

I didn’t plan it that way, it just happened. I realized a couple months ago when I took on a few new things, that I had pointedly avoided taking on anything new or extra for over a year – since … Continue reading →

Posted in academia, confidence, flexibility, happiness, having it all, letting go, motherhood, no regrets, pause, postdoc, transitions | 1 Comment

I have to pay back what?!

Posted on January 23, 2017 by SweetScience

As if it isn’t difficult enough to be in your mid-thirties starting a family while living on a postdoc salary and waiting to move yet again before finally getting a “real” job, some of us also have to worry about … Continue reading →

Posted in academia, finishing postdoctoral training, funding, money, postdoc, transitions | 4 Comments

Maternity leave – or – And I thought I knew everything!

Posted on March 28, 2016 by SweetScience

I can’t believe I have an 8 week old baby! This time on maternity leave has been absolutely precious and has flown by. So what have I learned? Well for this blog I’ll skip all of the baby stuff (I … Continue reading →

Posted in motherhood, postdoc, the fog, transitions | 2 Comments

Life Lessons from Teenagers

Posted on December 28, 2015 by notarealteachers

“So, what do you guy think of this?” I asked my students, using all my effort to bite my tongue and let my students express their own opinions. I was discussing the 2014 decision by Facebook and Apple to subsidize … Continue reading →

Posted in early career scientist, female scientist, graduate school, job search, motherhood, role models, teaching, transitions | 4 Comments

Some more thoughts on networking – my two cents

Posted on November 29, 2015 by Curiouser&Curiouser

It’s been five years since I received my PhD and I think I might be starting to enter a new phase in my career. For those of us without the imposed timelines of “K” and “R” awards career staging can … Continue reading →

Posted in advice, biotech, communication styles, early career scientist, female scientist, industry, job search, Leaving Academia, new job, pharma, postdoc, postdocs, professional, start up, transitions, women in science | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Having it both ways: on changing – and keeping – my name

Posted on November 17, 2015 by SweetScience

If I can find a way to get exactly what I want without compromising, why shouldn’t I go for it? That’s what I thought when I made the decision about my name, a personal choice that people make for many … Continue reading →

Posted in having it all, transitions, women in science | 3 Comments