How to get a postdoc, a faculty position, & why you might or might not want one - Darren Lipomi UCSD

In this talk, I discussed the "highest-yield" strategies for getting a postdoc and getting it paid for. For postdocs in the audience, I then discussed how to leverage your work into a competitive faculty application. *Forgive the highly irrelevant thumbnail and gratuitous use of kittens.

[@HonestGuyWhoSpeaksUp]

It is genuinely sweet to see Prof. Darren try to squeeze positive aspects about going to an unreliable, overcrowded, low-paid, uncertain, and volatile position that potentially will require you to move. He is presenting the facts in a clear way. And made it way clearer why people should never get into post-doc positions unless you're rich, single and have plenty of time to stay on the "postdoc treadmill".

[@staciweaver7801]

Very well said. I'm doing a PhD later in life (after working in industry for a number of years) and I am so disturbed with what I have witnessed in the academic environment. The behavior is absolutely inhumane in my opinion.

[@staciweaver7801]

I dont think I could sleep at night working for/in the academic system.

[@basedblueboy8770]

@@staciweaver7801 I'm thinking about starting a PhD in my mid 30s after years in industry. What are some of the issues you see?

[@staciweaver7801]

@Based Blue Boy Mainly, I observe rampant racism and abuse towards students - especially students without US citizenship. Many professors are ill equipped/untrained/inexperienced in cultural competency and leadership - which trickles down to students as "acceptable" behavior in the workplace - which keeps the cycle of abuse going years after years. The academic system is just so broken and sad. :(

[@sashanealand8315]

​@@staciweaver7801your remarks could have been written by me. I also unfortunately decided to give academia a try after working in industry. I had such a good experience in industry! Mentoring, innovative and professional. The lack of professionalism, absolute rudeness, exploitation, attitude of anti-collaboration, lack of supplies and broken unmaintained equipment in academia is shocking. The worst part is time in academia has made me unemployable by industry. They dont want academics in industry and frankly I can see why. I used to get a job offer for about 80% of the jobs I interviewed for in industry but since academia I have not got even one industry job offer. So I might have to end up with a postdoc. If you are happy in an industry job, just dont wreck it by going to academia like me.

[@Zayphar]

Unless you are determined to attempt to become a full Professor in your field, there is absolutely no rational reason to sign a postdoc contract. Get a job and start your life. Ten years from now you will thank yourself.

[@Zayphar]

@@MeleeMarthsGrab Any possible job you can aquire in your field will give you better skills than any possible post doc in your field, and it won't waste your income potential, your quality of life, and several of your most productive years. Just say no. Get a job and move on with your life. See this for more information: kzbin.info/www/bejne/o3bbnYOfna1moM0.

[@ronron2312]

In my field, there is no way of determining if you have what it takes to become a faculty member and if you are whether your skill set is appropriate for a R1 institution or a liberal arts college. I my case I had no idea the kinds of questions or the approach I would take to answer them until after my 3rd year of grad school. My postdoctoral experience was a blast as well as productive. I ended up as a faculty member at a R1 campus and I am still enjoying life.

[@Gestalt81]

There are several “rational” reasons to do a post doc, even if full professor isn’t your goal at the time of your appointment

[@DebGoswami]

Great to see the return of this series!

[@KakSina]

39:15 I can relate so much when you say "When I suggested that we apply to some cold places, my wife said over my dead body" 😁

[@aesclamadoca]

I Love these. Remember watching the original talks you posted a couple of years ago and I’ve continued watching the rest of your stuff ever since. So crazy to think back at my anxiety towards getting into grad school and now Im in my dream program! Truly, thanks for the content

[@djlipomi]

Thanks! I really appreciate the kind words and am glad to know my videos have been helpful. Congrats on the success!

[@ICavalcadeI]

Saving this for when I'll definitely need it again by next winter

[@738shani]

Prof, you are really nice person, researcher

[@priyanujbordoloi9071]

The thumbnail is really awesome!

[@djlipomi]

Thanks :)

[@JackieLiu0406]

Thanks for sharing. ☺️❤️

[@nathanmasak]

Great thoughts, Darren; thank you. I was lucky enough to receive an invitation for interview only 2 weeks after I applied for a faculty position through IntellectBay. It is a really efficient platform to connect potential faculty (candidates) with academic departments. I highly recommend it to anyone applying for a faculty position, rather than hunting for positions everywhere and submitting a separate lengthy application to each job.

[@PZJBimha]

Insightful . Much appreciated.

[@djlipomi]

Thanks! Very glad it was helpful.

[@eimienwanlanibhagui4859]

Thank you for this. I like the facts you presented about industry and also infusing jokes into your presentation. By the way, I got some ideas and info I jotted e.g. for the former, the suggestion of not acting or thinking as a natural sciences person in an engineering department 🙂. Change your stuff to "engineering"!

[@erikthomaidis5621]

Thanks for the lecture. I’d like you to ask how many postdocs should one do if he wants to become a professor. And what’s the difference in the workday between a postdoc and a professor. Is it right that if a professor wants to do research in the lab he has to get funded so he can buy out his time from the university?

[@MaheshYadav-ek2le]

The first thing you told about why most PIs want their students to be in academia is thought-provoking.

[@elalaelasariuinjakarta7548]

Thank you for a great video, Prof. I am looking for Postdoc in Environmental Health Genomics.

[@djlipomi]

So glad it was helpful!

[@andik70]

48:50 thank you notes are fine, but gifts to letter writers?

[@anuragchakraborty8766]

I secured 3 postdoc interviews over a 2 year period and was rejected in all 3 of them.

[@staciweaver7801]

At ~44min in : can you explain more by what you mean by "fit"?

[@djlipomi]

Sure, for example, the candidate works in an area where there is no existing community doing similar research on campus, or it could mean that the candidate's research would put them in direct competition with an existing faculty member. Those would both be examples of poor fit.

[@JamesJoyce12]

it is cute that he seems to believe that a random PhD is going to get an invite into McKinsey BCG or Bain - hint: not likely - maybe a 1% chance

[@djlipomi]

Nope, I don't believe that, but thanks for calling me cute.

[@JamesJoyce12]

@@djlipomi you said it at 5:30 and you need to understand that getting into the big three Consulting firms for anyone is about a 1% acceptance rate [much lower than the typical PhD acceptance rate even at the most prestigious unis]- you might have told them similarly to try out for a professional sports team.

[@djlipomi]

@@JamesJoyce12 Again, I know that. No one in the audience came away thinking they could get a job at McK just by having a PhD. I said I knew people in those jobs, not that it was easy. For the record, I applied to the BCG prep program and was rejected.

[@spaghettimeatballswow]

You got to have a big ego to want to be a professor these days. It’s why they suck at their jobs