One response to my postings about the Postdoc Glut was from Dieter who expalined
that I (and others who feel as I feel) should get out of academia and into the
real world where there are plenty of opportunities for PhDs.(!?)
Apparently Dieter (who works for Geofuels) has landed such a job and I wish him
good luck. However, I am *NOT* having the same experiences as he.
I have worked for a private company as well as for the governement (my current
postdoc) and I haven't found a home in either.
I agree that one should broaden one's horizons by looking for jobs in industry,
(I don't know of any PhD who would chose unemployment to an non-academic job)
but I have found the job market outside Universities to be just as difficult.
My postings on the E-board were a direct attack upon graduate schools producing
more PhDs. I illustrated my point by explaining that Universities are producing
far more PhDs than they themselves wish to hire (as faculty). However, I did
not mean that the only jobs available are in academia. My point is that
academia use the EXCUSE that Dieter suggests to justify their PhD production.
The fact is industry (in general) is closing down R&D not expanding.
An interesting statistic came through my E-mail this morning. It concerns only
Bacholors degrees, but I feel it acts as a good indication of the trends in
science (This data was complied by Gene Nelson, PhD, not me):
According to Braddock "Scientific and Technical Employment 1990-2005" in Monthly
Labor review (pg35) in 1990 the market demanded 74,466 Bachlor Degrees in
Science and Engineering. Yet According to the NSF Data Book (1992 NSF92-331)
the number of BS awarded in 1990 was 329,094! So in 1990 alone there were more
than four times as many BS's as the market demanded. A buyer's market.
OK. I know that number can be argued down a variety of ways. (They are BS in
the wrong fields, how you define the market, etc), but my point is, most
of them won't find jobs (in science).
Actually, I know some recent BS's in the position of "cannot get a job but
cannot throw away my college education" so they enter GRAD SCHOOL! They hope
that they can ride out the market-demand storm in the safety of school and come
out more employable. (HAHA). Naturally, I've tried to set them straight. They
ask "Well, what the hell am I suppose to do? Quit? Be unemployed? At least I get
a stipends as a grad student.". Another crop of PhDs being sown for the harvest.
(Fattened up for the slaughter).
I don't know of any lab (academia, government or industry) which hirers
more PhDs than BS (too top heavy). So if BS are finding problems getting jobs,
as the above statistic suggests, why should we think the PhD posts will be any
easier to come by.
Industry and government are both scaling back and the future situation isn't too
bright for the PhD. Dieter's suggestion about consultancy is good, but like
being a king "it's good work if you can get it".
With my MBA (to be awarded next year) I sincerely hope to make it in the world
of Biotech-consultantcy. But I don't have as much hope for it as Dieter.
It isn't easy getting started in consulatncy.
Here's a bit of an aside about CONTRACTS (it sort of relates to consulting):
As a matter of fact I hoped to get into consultantcy last year (before I even
started my MBA) with the idea that if I offered my services FREE, I might
develope a base of clients and learn the inner workings of the field.
Unfortunatly, before I even got a chance to send out my letters (to drum up
business), the Director of the Institute found out, (I had mentioned it to my
boss, and she looked very sour and told the Director my plans.).
He hauled me into his office, read me the Riot Act and told me that I
was hired to be a postdoc, a 24 hour job demanding my complete attention.
Consulting was out of the question and he would not permit it! I told him
(politely) that what I do in the evenings and weekends was none of his
business!
He told me that it was, and pointed to a clause in my contract which reiterated
his opinion about Moonlighting and specifically forbid any other work "Paid or
unpaid"! Christ was I pissed! So, he simply said, "continue with this and you
are fired" (because my contract also states that he can fire me on the spot for
"diciplinary reason".). As I have said before "Read your contracts." Your's
maybe more flexiable, but read it again to see.
Anyway, I've cleared it with my new "boss" in my new post which starts next
month. So I hope to give free biotech consulting services starting October.
Counting my experiernces before I went back to get my PhD, I have worked in six
different labs in many areas of Biotechnology (monoclonals, cancer, AIDS,
transgenics, drug evaluation, etc) so I think me background is complete.
I hope Dieter (and others) can offer some suggestions of :
1: How to develope a cliental list?
2: How much to (eventually) charge?
3: Any other suggestions.
My "research" (library stuff) found that there are about 60 consulting agencies
world-wide which specify that they do Bio-tech consulting work. I might get my
career started by contacting some of them (to get experience).
What do you think?