Moving from graduate school to a postdoctoral fellowship
Photo by Katja Ano on Unsplash
Continuing in our series about shifts in identity and mindset that happen as we move through our careers, this week I’m highlighting the transition from graduate school to a postdoctoral fellowship and all of the changes that entails. (For thoughts about what to expect during the transition from undergraduate to graduate school, please see last week’s post here).
The purpose of a postdoctoral fellowship is to refine your existing skills, cultivate new ones, and develop new knowledge that will allow you to occupy a unique space in the field. During this time, you move on from your training, not only becoming an expert, but also standing confidently in your expertise. But, you still need to have clarity on where you want to go with your career: what kind of expert do you want to be? What kind of work or ideas do you want to be known for? Answering these questions will allow you to see clearly what skills and knowledge you have already acquired, as well as those that you do not yet possess. The goal then is to intentionally close those gaps during your postdoctoral fellowship, so that you can truly step into the career you want. However, this will mean taking the time to reflect and being brutally honest with yourself about the kind of work you may need to do to get where you want to go.
A postdoctoral fellowship is a time of increased independence. As a result, there may be less oversight from your supervisor with respect to certain activities, and more freedom to develop the kinds of questions, paradigms, and analyses that are of particular interest to you. Increasing independence, however, also means increasing your responsibility to yourself. You are one who is now primarily responsible for establishing your milestones and your timelines. You are the one selecting collaborations and collaborators. You may feel like it’s finally the right time for you to step into this leading role. In that case, enjoy this exciting opportunity to determine how you want your career (and your life!) to unfold. However, if, for most of your life, you have been following what other people have been telling you to do, then this phase of your career can feel a little tricky and a little scary. Don’t worry; your supervisor and your other mentors are still there to help you along the way. But, the nature of their help may change from telling you what to do, to coaching you in a way that allows you to find the solution yourself. This may be frustrating, but remember that they are preparing you for the next step in your career.
Ironically, preparing for the next step in your career is pretty much the whole point of the postdoctoral fellowship! Part of that preparation involves learning how to showcase your expertise to the world. During these years, you need to hone your communication skills, specifically about who you are, what you do, and why people should care about your work. Now, this doesn’t mean that you simply market yourself shamelessly and without empathy like the stereotypes of a used car salesman or an ambulance-chasing lawyer. Learning how to effectively communicate requires not only understanding yourself, but understanding what other people may or may not know, what problems they’re trying to solve, and what they care about. Sometimes you need your messaging to come from their perspective rather than from yours. Shifting from ‘let me tell you about how great I am’ to ‘let me tell you why I’m the right person to solve the problems you care about’ takes a lot of practice, and the postdoctoral fellowship is a great time to work on reframing your thinking and your messaging.
The postdoctoral fellowship is a time of evolution. Your ownership of self, your activities, your mindset, and your messaging are all changing. The specifics of this time look different for everyone, and that’s because during this period of exploration, you’re seeing what works for you, and you’re get clarity on who you want to be. If you need help during these postdoctoral years, reach out, and we’ll make sure this time in your life sets you up for a successful career later.
Next week: From postdoc to assistant professor
