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

[Anonymous]

Hello,

I am at the age of 28 and is about to finish my PhD in genetics from a top 10 university. I genuinely need advice on life and career. Many thanks in advance.

Okay, here come the details of our current situation. My husband and I had our son during the middle of my PhD and this has not been easy as my husband is also doing his PhD in Economics. We hope to relocate to DC once my husband graduates but that will be in 2017. We have agreed upon the idea of me staying at home for two years after graduation. Meanwhile, I can actually spend more time with our son and have another kid so that their age gap will be no more than four years. As a side note, we don't have any financial problems and my husband is supportive and understanding.

The problem is what should I do when the younger kid is two or three year old and in school! I am definitely switching career and no more postdoc (too many reasons that I don't want to delve into)

Options that I am contemplating on include

1. Apply to law school and become a patent attorney.
Is the two or three year break from work going to hurt my law school application and future job hunt?
By the time I finish law school and start working, my kids will probably be 8 and 4 year old, how doable will it be? I might be naïve and assume kids at that age need less time and attention compared to babies/toddlers.
Are opportunities other than big law common, such as in house counsel? I am okay with taking on a less time demanding job with a pay cut.

2. Public health work in one of those DC NGOs (world bank, WHO, etc..) This route is very much less clear to me, like what positions should I apply for. I don’t have actual experience in public health although I could get a doctoral certificate in global health before I graduate but no idea how useful that’s gonna be.

3. Healthcare consulting. Are there any consulting work that requires minimal travel and a PhD in life sciences around DC? Traveling 4 days a week is a huge no no for us.

4. Get a master in accounting and work as a CPA. What’s the work life balance like? How is the pay/hours?

Thanks in advance!

[Anonymous]

Why do you want to get an additional degree? Surely there's a career switch you can make with your PhD. And why do you want to move to DC?

[Anonymous]

So you will have a PhD in genetics, but don't intend to use that knowledge for your next career? I don't get it. You will essentially be an expert in the genetic field.

If you don't want to work in a lab or whatever, look at the top companies in the field in this area and figure out what other jobs are available. If you want to go to law school, fine, but tailor your career search to places that will want your science expertise.
You could even look at freelance writing and using your science background as basis for your point of view. I think you have a lot of options, but you have to think about the type of work you think you'd enjoy and go from there.

[Anonymous]

I would try to see what you can do with the PhD before tacking on more school (debt and may not look like you know what you want to do to employers)- I think work experience will help clarify things for you. Some law firms now have "health consultants" in their health practice groups so perhaps you can do something like that so you can see what its like to work for a law firm in the field of health before going to law school.

[Anonymous]

How are your analysis skills? Excel, SAS, Stata, R, etc. If you have really solid mathematical/analysis skills and a good track record with that on your PhD I would look into analyst jobs with either the government or think tanks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would try to see what you can do with the PhD before tacking on more school (debt and may not look like you know what you want to do to employers)- I think work experience will help clarify things for you. Some law firms now have "health consultants" in their health practice groups so perhaps you can do something like that so you can see what its like to work for a law firm in the field of health before going to law school.

OP here, that's something I am willing to find out more. Thanks. I agree I should probably get my feet wet first. Just worried that a two year gap from work will hinder any job search.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So you will have a PhD in genetics, but don't intend to use that knowledge for your next career? I don't get it. You will essentially be an expert in the genetic field.

If you don't want to work in a lab or whatever, look at the top companies in the field in this area and figure out what other jobs are available. If you want to go to law school, fine, but tailor your career search to places that will want your science expertise.
You could even look at freelance writing and using your science background as basis for your point of view. I think you have a lot of options, but you have to think about the type of work you think you'd enjoy and go from there.

First, I don't like research. Second, jobs in industry mostly require at least three years of postdoc.

I know for sure I don't enjoy research.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How are your analysis skills? Excel, SAS, Stata, R, etc. If you have really solid mathematical/analysis skills and a good track record with that on your PhD I would look into analyst jobs with either the government or think tanks.

Not so great. minimal use of stata

[Anonymous]

There are lots of opportunities in the DC area that could build off your background. I have two friends with pHDs who work in a science-writing capacity. You could look into consulting/analyst jobs as well, many of which could take you into more of a project or program management direction. If you're still finishing your pHD and don't have any outside work experience, I'd strongly advise not dropping out completely for the next two years. I'd be networking now to figure out if you can swing some part-time science writing or applied analysis work to build some skillsets tangetial to your research experience.

[Anonymous]

I think you need to take a breath and actually figure out what interests you. You've outlined 4 options that are all in different directions with no underlying thread other than "not a genetics research position." You've already invested substantial time and effort getting a degree in something that isn't your passion. Don't go lumping another (expensive) degree on top of that unless you're sure it will be useful.

The immediate thought that came to mind when I read you post though was genetic counseling. You obviously have the science background for it, you'd just need to add the counseling credentials (which is a 2 year program I believe). You mentioned healthcare and public health as possible career paths and this fits into that realm while still being tied to your PhD.

[Anonymous]

I would not recommend going to law school and becoming a lawyer. Working in a law firm is very incompatible with having kids as you work very very long hours. It is very stressful and very competitive.

[Anonymous]

Those are all options -- but their availability may be greatly limited by you taking 2 years off.

1. Law school: It probably will NOT hurt your application if you haven't worked in two years. But based on the details you've provided, my guess is you will hate being a laywer. It involves consistent hard work, long hours, research, etc. If you don't like the job prospects after your phD, I'm guessing this is a bad path for you.

2. Public Health in an NGO like WHO. My understanding is that these jobs are insanely competitive. It takes years of applying to get in, and even then, it's a crap shoot who actually gets the jobs. If you take 2 years off working, my suspicion is that you will be dead in the water before applying. (that said, it's possible that your genetics background makes you a highly sought after candidate with limited competition? in which case, maybe this isn't true).

3. Healthcare consulting. This is broad. Maybe these jobs exist, but if you're looking for part time on your own schedule, it seems like there'd be a zillion people competing against you -- who hadn't been out of the market for two years.

4. Masters in accounting? This is so random to jump into. See above re: comments on law.

In sum, this city is filled with people with graduate degrees from top schools. My friends who have dropped out of the workforce for a couple years from the professional track have found it very very difficult to re-enter. That's not to say it doesn't happen, but those people already had successful careers and contacts in this city when they stopped working. They strategized a lot during their time off to keep doors open, worked part time, did consulting, etc. I think it would be near impossible to graduate, take two years off, and then find a job here.

I also think your new career paths (law, CPA) seem to be the ultimate "safe" job path, but these require a lot of hard work and focus - you shouldn't just see them as an easy back up plan to your failed phd route.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would not recommend going to law school and becoming a lawyer. Working in a law firm is very incompatible with having kids as you work very very long hours. It is very stressful and very competitive.

Plus the good old days are over. No guarantee of a job when you graduate anymore.

Why are you continuing a PhD if you are not going to use it? I hope you are getting it paid for with fellowships/TA!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

4. Get a master in accounting and work as a CPA. What’s the work life balance like? How is the pay/hours?

You can do this and probably find a job, but since you have no relevant experience you would be competing against 22 year olds straight out of undergrad. It helps if you are qualified academically to sit for the CPA exam, but I'm pretty sure you can't officially be licensed until you have work experience in most states. The job you would find in public accounting would likely involve long hours and regional or national travel and pay $50-60K. You would feel very old compared to your work peers as those your age would be at the Manager-Sr. Manager level. Your direct supervisor on many engagements would be about 24 years old. Finding a job in private industry might be better for work-life balance, but those jobs are harder to get with no experience. They also tend to pay less. You might be able to get a staff accountant job in a non-profit that pays around $50K, but most of them will be looking for someone who has already put 1-3 years in public accounting.

Basically, becoming an accountant/CPA is a good path to a steady job that pays reasonably well. If you work at it you can certainly make 6 figures eventually. However, you have to put in your time just like with anything else. Don't do this unless you actually want to be an accountant. Also, depending on what it is that you hate about research, you might hate accounting as well!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think you need to take a breath and actually figure out what interests you. You've outlined 4 options that are all in different directions with no underlying thread other than "not a genetics research position." You've already invested substantial time and effort getting a degree in something that isn't your passion. Don't go lumping another (expensive) degree on top of that unless you're sure it will be useful.

The immediate thought that came to mind when I read you post though was genetic counseling. You obviously have the science background for it, you'd just need to add the counseling credentials (which is a 2 year program I believe). You mentioned healthcare and public health as possible career paths and this fits into that realm while still being tied to your PhD.

This advice is excellent. The need for good genetic counselors will only increase, the pay is decent and the positions are fairly flexible (certainly more so than law or accounting). You could also begin the supplementary grad program when you're ready without any penalty. You'll have a very, very hard time getting a position with a two year gap straight out of grad school, even from an excellent program. There are simply too many STEM PhDs, and even things like science writing and policy are far more competitive than they used to be. At the very least, consider keeping a hand in by adjuncting or writing an article here and there. A true two year gap will be tough, absent additional training as PPs have described.