what should I do after a phd and staying at home for two years? Advice needed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP--there is a HUGE need for people who can apply genetics to public health. It's a growing field with very few well trained in methodology and approaches. Seriously. Take those two years with your kiddos, and simultaneously get a master's in Epidemiology at Hopkins (or an MPH with an epi focus--very doable with young kids), and then come to the NIH (amazingly family friendly and research is fun in a way it isn't in academia due to no demands for grants). Signed, fellow PhD/public health researcher and mom of 2 young, crazy kiddos.

That is something I have not heard of. Are you talking about the genome wide association studies? Do you mostly use biostatistic knowledge? Could you please describe your work or what kind of position should I aim for with a master in Epi? Do you need to to work as a principle investigator, secure funding and write papers and all that?

Many many thanks

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Okay people serious 2 years is NOT going to kill her career in the grand scheme of things. She is young and hasn't really even started her career. Most people her age are living in their parent's basement. Its okay of the OP wants to take time and figure out what she wants to do. She picked the PhD probably very young so its okay for her to have *gasp* changed her mind!

Agree.

OP, you sound like a twit who is looking for a reason not to actually look for a job. Stop trying to find reasons to delay and bite the bullet. Someone is soaking up your student debt and your milking it for all it's worth. You have a kid now, so it's time to grow up. Stop hiding in graduate degree programs.

+2 get a job now, don't be a professional degree collector.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:i honestly cannot imagine investing all this time in getting a PhD in a field like genetics and then throwing it all away. You say that you don't like research. Would you consider teaching?

Have you ever worked 80 hour weeks for 30K a year? Screamed at by your boss? Hard work stolen by a competitor? Yeah science is a real fun roller coaster.

No, I got a PhD from a top school in a field that I still love (economics) and make over 300k. But my sister got a PhD in bioinformatics and slaved as a post-doc for an insane advisor for 3 years. That said, she loves her work (cancer research) and just started her first job in a start-up. So I do know a thing or two about perseverance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP--there is a HUGE need for people who can apply genetics to public health. It's a growing field with very few well trained in methodology and approaches. Seriously. Take those two years with your kiddos, and simultaneously get a master's in Epidemiology at Hopkins (or an MPH with an epi focus--very doable with young kids), and then come to the NIH (amazingly family friendly and research is fun in a way it isn't in academia due to no demands for grants). Signed, fellow PhD/public health researcher and mom of 2 young, crazy kiddos.

That is something I have not heard of. Are you talking about the genome wide association studies? Do you mostly use biostatistic knowledge? Could you please describe your work or what kind of position should I aim for with a master in Epi? Do you need to to work as a principle investigator, secure funding and write papers and all that?

Many many thanks

Yes, folks with advanced methodology in how to analyze genetic data to identify risks for disease and genetic modifiers that increase disease risk are highly in need. Everyone these days is generating genetic data that they know very little to do with. People strong in an understanding of genetics and epidemiological methods for analyzing genetic data are majorly lacking, and given that everything is likely related to genetics/epigenetics, that is a critical part of most studies. Public health is part research, partially applied work, and is in general very collaborative and in my opinion highly rewarding. Pay is fairly strong when you have a PhD (not MD level but between 90-150). It is also a very family friendly field. My PhD is in Epidemiology and we can never find individuals trained in genetic epi!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP--there is a HUGE need for people who can apply genetics to public health. It's a growing field with very few well trained in methodology and approaches. Seriously. Take those two years with your kiddos, and simultaneously get a master's in Epidemiology at Hopkins (or an MPH with an epi focus--very doable with young kids), and then come to the NIH (amazingly family friendly and research is fun in a way it isn't in academia due to no demands for grants). Signed, fellow PhD/public health researcher and mom of 2 young, crazy kiddos.

That is something I have not heard of. Are you talking about the genome wide association studies? Do you mostly use biostatistic knowledge? Could you please describe your work or what kind of position should I aim for with a master in Epi? Do you need to to work as a principle investigator, secure funding and write papers and all that?

Many many thanks

Yes, folks with advanced methodology in how to analyze genetic data to identify risks for disease and genetic modifiers that increase disease risk are highly in need. Everyone these days is generating genetic data that they know very little to do with. People strong in an understanding of genetics and epidemiological methods for analyzing genetic data are majorly lacking, and given that everything is likely related to genetics/epigenetics, that is a critical part of most studies. Public health is part research, partially applied work, and is in general very collaborative and in my opinion highly rewarding. Pay is fairly strong when you have a PhD (not MD level but between 90-150). It is also a very family friendly field. My PhD is in Epidemiology and we can never find individuals trained in genetic epi!

Also to add, if you are at a state of federal agency, you don't really worry much about securing funding as you have a salary and budget. We have applied out for grants occasionally, but more in a "we'd love to do this project if we had extra funds" kind of a way and not in a high-pressure "my career and life depend on this" kind of way. I publish, present research, and also participate in applications of our findings for clinicians and public health departments. In a prior life I did outbreak investigations 100% which I loved (but less kid friendly).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP--there is a HUGE need for people who can apply genetics to public health. It's a growing field with very few well trained in methodology and approaches. Seriously. Take those two years with your kiddos, and simultaneously get a master's in Epidemiology at Hopkins (or an MPH with an epi focus--very doable with young kids), and then come to the NIH (amazingly family friendly and research is fun in a way it isn't in academia due to no demands for grants). Signed, fellow PhD/public health researcher and mom of 2 young, crazy kiddos.

That is something I have not heard of. Are you talking about the genome wide association studies? Do you mostly use biostatistic knowledge? Could you please describe your work or what kind of position should I aim for with a master in Epi? Do you need to to work as a principle investigator, secure funding and write papers and all that?

Many many thanks

Yes, folks with advanced methodology in how to analyze genetic data to identify risks for disease and genetic modifiers that increase disease risk are highly in need. Everyone these days is generating genetic data that they know very little to do with. People strong in an understanding of genetics and epidemiological methods for analyzing genetic data are majorly lacking, and given that everything is likely related to genetics/epigenetics, that is a critical part of most studies. Public health is part research, partially applied work, and is in general very collaborative and in my opinion highly rewarding. Pay is fairly strong when you have a PhD (not MD level but between 90-150). It is also a very family friendly field. My PhD is in Epidemiology and we can never find individuals trained in genetic epi!

Also to add, if you are at a state of federal agency, you don't really worry much about securing funding as you have a salary and budget. We have applied out for grants occasionally, but more in a "we'd love to do this project if we had extra funds" kind of a way and not in a high-pressure "my career and life depend on this" kind of way. I publish, present research, and also participate in applications of our findings for clinicians and public health departments. In a prior life I did outbreak investigations 100% which I loved (but less kid friendly).

OP, I'm neither of the PPs quoted above (assuming those are more than one person), but I'm a PP with a PhD who works at NIH. It's a wonderful place to work in so many ways--strong sense of mission, lots of smart people, very family-friendly--and lets you do interesting, meaningful work while still having a family life. Based on what you've said, you would not want a tenure-track scientist position. Those are just as intense as academia; the trade-off for not needing to apply for funding means you need to develop and use cutting-edge methods and really make use of what NIH has to offer, and that makes for long hours. Anyway, there are lot of other positions for which you could potentially apply when it's time: staff scientist, health science administrator, etc. Of course, FTE positions at NIH are hard to come by. There's no guarantee your particular boss would be flexible w/rt schedules/family obligations, but NIH as a whole is, and that's the trend. My best advice is to cultivate relationships with people already at NIH while you're pursing an MPH, so you can have an inside track. I recently transitioned to an FTE position after being a postdoc for a while, and having that inside edge was crucial. I would think genetic epi would be a great subspecialty at NIH, since it's useful for all disorders, i.e., you wouldn't have to work only at NHGRI.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

When you say you dislike research, do you mean bench research?

Do you enjoy policy?

In realistic terms, how are your technical writing skills? Many science PhDs can't write.

Someone asked you about stats and analysis; did you say those are not strong points for you?

Do you feel strongly about having your second child within the next 2 years?

Why do you and your husband want to move to the DC area?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP--there is a HUGE need for people who can apply genetics to public health. It's a growing field with very few well trained in methodology and approaches. Seriously. Take those two years with your kiddos, and simultaneously get a master's in Epidemiology at Hopkins (or an MPH with an epi focus--very doable with young kids), and then come to the NIH (amazingly family friendly and research is fun in a way it isn't in academia due to no demands for grants). Signed, fellow PhD/public health researcher and mom of 2 young, crazy kiddos.

That is something I have not heard of. Are you talking about the genome wide association studies? Do you mostly use biostatistic knowledge? Could you please describe your work or what kind of position should I aim for with a master in Epi? Do you need to to work as a principle investigator, secure funding and write papers and all that?

Many many thanks

Yes, folks with advanced methodology in how to analyze genetic data to identify risks for disease and genetic modifiers that increase disease risk are highly in need. Everyone these days is generating genetic data that they know very little to do with. People strong in an understanding of genetics and epidemiological methods for analyzing genetic data are majorly lacking, and given that everything is likely related to genetics/epigenetics, that is a critical part of most studies. Public health is part research, partially applied work, and is in general very collaborative and in my opinion highly rewarding. Pay is fairly strong when you have a PhD (not MD level but between 90-150). It is also a very family friendly field. My PhD is in Epidemiology and we can never find individuals trained in genetic epi!

Also to add, if you are at a state of federal agency, you don't really worry much about securing funding as you have a salary and budget. We have applied out for grants occasionally, but more in a "we'd love to do this project if we had extra funds" kind of a way and not in a high-pressure "my career and life depend on this" kind of way. I publish, present research, and also participate in applications of our findings for clinicians and public health departments. In a prior life I did outbreak investigations 100% which I loved (but less kid friendly).

OP, I'm neither of the PPs quoted above (assuming those are more than one person), but I'm a PP with a PhD who works at NIH. It's a wonderful place to work in so many ways--strong sense of mission, lots of smart people, very family-friendly--and lets you do interesting, meaningful work while still having a family life. Based on what you've said, you would not want a tenure-track scientist position. Those are just as intense as academia; the trade-off for not needing to apply for funding means you need to develop and use cutting-edge methods and really make use of what NIH has to offer, and that makes for long hours. Anyway, there are lot of other positions for which you could potentially apply when it's time: staff scientist, health science administrator, etc. Of course, FTE positions at NIH are hard to come by. There's no guarantee your particular boss would be flexible w/rt schedules/family obligations, but NIH as a whole is, and that's the trend. My best advice is to cultivate relationships with people already at NIH while you're pursing an MPH, so you can have an inside track. I recently transitioned to an FTE position after being a postdoc for a while, and having that inside edge was crucial. I would think genetic epi would be a great subspecialty at NIH, since it's useful for all disorders, i.e., you wouldn't have to work only at NHGRI.

Good luck!

I'm the poster quoted above this one who is at NIH, and I am not in a tenure track slot not would I want one. Staff Scientist positions are hard to come by too but perfect options for work life balance. The extramural world at NIH is also a great option for the OP and would not require independent research for the most part but is much more programmatic. The public health field is mostly female so it tends to be family friendly.

[Anonymous]

I think you should leave school alone and figure out what you like before wasting your time on more degrees. The degrees you listed aren't related in anyway. Sounds to me like you just kind of randomly picking career options and that is not good. It's also a big time waster. Not to mention, in my opinion having a bunch of degrees and no work experience won't help your career. Perhaps find someone you can shadow, figure out what you are truly interested in and then pursue further education.

[Anonymous]

I think the take aways from all of the PPs is as follows:

1. Those other jobs you list are bad fits for you. You need to figure out what you want to do before spending $150k on a law degree, for example.

2. Your degree could afford you some decent jobs with decent flexibility in DC - others have mentioned patent agent or NIH.

3. But if you want those jobs, you need to get them as soon as you graduate. Or alternatively, you would need additional school or certification. If you graduate this spring and do not get a job, your phD will be worthless in DC - like literally you might as well not have the phD (unless you go back to school after your time off). There are a ton of STEM phds in this city, a ton of women who want to take time off while they have kids and then re-enter.

But I think this whole conversation is moot. My guess is that in 5 years, you will be a stay at home mommy with a few more higher ed classes under her belt who rests her laurels on her fancy ivy phd (despite it never having been used) but who's husband is somewhat annoyed that you have a wasted phd and aren't working (but he would never push you too hard on the issue, lest he be challenging your mantra that "being a SAHM is the hardest and most important job in the world!).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the take aways from all of the PPs is as follows:

1. Those other jobs you list are bad fits for you. You need to figure out what you want to do before spending $150k on a law degree, for example.

2. Your degree could afford you some decent jobs with decent flexibility in DC - others have mentioned patent agent or NIH.

3. But if you want those jobs, you need to get them as soon as you graduate. Or alternatively, you would need additional school or certification. If you graduate this spring and do not get a job, your phD will be worthless in DC - like literally you might as well not have the phD (unless you go back to school after your time off). There are a ton of STEM phds in this city, a ton of women who want to take time off while they have kids and then re-enter.

But I think this whole conversation is moot. My guess is that in 5 years, you will be a stay at home mommy with a few more higher ed classes under her belt who rests her laurels on her fancy ivy phd (despite it never having been used) but who's husband is somewhat annoyed that you have a wasted phd and aren't working (but he would never push you too hard on the issue, lest he be challenging your mantra that "being a SAHM is the hardest and most important job in the world!).

OP here.
For me personally, the most important take home message is that I should not take any break and work before even thinking of an additional degree. I appreciate those who gave me real advice and alternative careers to think about.

I am graduating next spring and have to wait for another year for my husband to finish his econ phd before we relocate in spring 2017. The worst scenario other than staying at home is to do another one year postdoc in the current lab (my advisor would love that) and look for jobs after we move to DC or other major cities. Based on the response I get, I will try to work part time or intern in our current city.

To be honest, it is actually my husband that really wants me to stay at home while kids are small and that is also why I came to this forum for a second opinion. DH thinks I can pursue a career if I want to when kids are old enough to be in autopilot mode. Apparently, this is far from feasible.

[Anonymous]

I'm the PP who gave info about accounting (I can give more info if you need it, but I don't think you're actually headed that way).

Honestly it just sounds like you're burnt out and need a reason to get excited about genetics again! Good luck and I hope everything works out for you!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the take aways from all of the PPs is as follows:

1. Those other jobs you list are bad fits for you. You need to figure out what you want to do before spending $150k on a law degree, for example.

2. Your degree could afford you some decent jobs with decent flexibility in DC - others have mentioned patent agent or NIH.

3. But if you want those jobs, you need to get them as soon as you graduate. Or alternatively, you would need additional school or certification. If you graduate this spring and do not get a job, your phD will be worthless in DC - like literally you might as well not have the phD (unless you go back to school after your time off). There are a ton of STEM phds in this city, a ton of women who want to take time off while they have kids and then re-enter.

But I think this whole conversation is moot. My guess is that in 5 years, you will be a stay at home mommy with a few more higher ed classes under her belt who rests her laurels on her fancy ivy phd (despite it never having been used) but who's husband is somewhat annoyed that you have a wasted phd and aren't working (but he would never push you too hard on the issue, lest he be challenging your mantra that "being a SAHM is the hardest and most important job in the world!).

OP here.
For me personally, the most important take home message is that I should not take any break and work before even thinking of an additional degree. I appreciate those who gave me real advice and alternative careers to think about.

I am graduating next spring and have to wait for another year for my husband to finish his econ phd before we relocate in spring 2017. The worst scenario other than staying at home is to do another one year postdoc in the current lab (my advisor would love that) and look for jobs after we move to DC or other major cities. Based on the response I get, I will try to work part time or intern in our current city.

To be honest, it is actually my husband that really wants me to stay at home while kids are small and that is also why I came to this forum for a second opinion. DH thinks I can pursue a career if I want to when kids are old enough to be in autopilot mode. Apparently, this is far from feasible.

Why doesn't he stay home if it is as easy as he thinks?

[Anonymous]

In realistic terms, how are your technical writing skills? Many science PhDs can't write.

I don't think this stereotype is at all true. Some science PhDs can't write well, especially if English is their second language, but my experience is that there is a lot of writing required in most biology and chemistry PhD programs. There is writing in classes (review papers, fake NIH grants), writing for quals/prelims/orals (usually a proposal or a fake NIH grant), fellowship applications, grants, writing up your results for publication, and writing your dissertation (which is often pasting together papers, but you need to write an introduction). A lot of professors are too busy to draft papers, so they typically just edit when you send it to them. Some professors even delegate grant writing.

As far as taking time off, I know it is frowned upon, and if you don't have to then it's probably not a good idea. I do know people who have taken time off and still managed to find a postdoc or job, however it just complicates things later on when trying to coordinate two careers since there is a lot of prejudice against gaps in the CV.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the take aways from all of the PPs is as follows:

1. Those other jobs you list are bad fits for you. You need to figure out what you want to do before spending $150k on a law degree, for example.

2. Your degree could afford you some decent jobs with decent flexibility in DC - others have mentioned patent agent or NIH.

3. But if you want those jobs, you need to get them as soon as you graduate. Or alternatively, you would need additional school or certification. If you graduate this spring and do not get a job, your phD will be worthless in DC - like literally you might as well not have the phD (unless you go back to school after your time off). There are a ton of STEM phds in this city, a ton of women who want to take time off while they have kids and then re-enter.

But I think this whole conversation is moot. My guess is that in 5 years, you will be a stay at home mommy with a few more higher ed classes under her belt who rests her laurels on her fancy ivy phd (despite it never having been used) but who's husband is somewhat annoyed that you have a wasted phd and aren't working (but he would never push you too hard on the issue, lest he be challenging your mantra that "being a SAHM is the hardest and most important job in the world!).

OP here.
For me personally, the most important take home message is that I should not take any break and work before even thinking of an additional degree. I appreciate those who gave me real advice and alternative careers to think about.

I am graduating next spring and have to wait for another year for my husband to finish his econ phd before we relocate in spring 2017. The worst scenario other than staying at home is to do another one year postdoc in the current lab (my advisor would love that) and look for jobs after we move to DC or other major cities. Based on the response I get, I will try to work part time or intern in our current city.

To be honest, it is actually my husband that really wants me to stay at home while kids are small and that is also why I came to this forum for a second opinion. DH thinks I can pursue a career if I want to when kids are old enough to be in autopilot mode. Apparently, this is far from feasible.

Lol, that's more than 2 years off...