[Cd00d]

As a physics PhD with two postdocs, this highlights almost perfectly my decision to leave for industry. When I defended the plan was to become faculty, but my first postdoc made it clear to me that goal was never going to make me happy, or allow for a balanced life.

I would add to the list one other important factor: getting papers accepted at desirable journals feels less like success for me now than it did when I was younger. The 14th edit of a paper just feels like pointless tedium and is time not spent making or testing something. And once you get a faculty appointment all the hands on time vanishes, and you're more of a professional writer/editor. I still need to be working with my hands.

That said, I'm finding it somewhat more difficult than I expected to transition to industry. I find that a lot of companies don't understand that graduate school and postdoc level research are not like college. I am also frequently treated with skepticism (from the CEO level to HR) that I really want to leave academia after developing such a strong academic CV. There still seems to be a lot of misunderstanding about the differences in environment from both sides.

[alatkins]

I also found the post-PhD transition to industry a challenge. I highly recommend Jane Chin's 'PhD [alternative] Career Clinic' [1] for getting a handle on the perspectives of employers to PhDs, and ideas on how to avoid falling victim to some of the common stereotypes.

Good luck!

[1] http://www.amazon.com/alternative-Career-Clinic-Jane-Ph-D/dp...

[pyoung]

I was talking to an HR guy from a mid-tier web company who said they were pretty adverse to hiring PhD's without proven industry experience. It sounds like they were burned a couple of times by people who couldn't make the transition.

[Cd00d]

Thank you for that - looks like a great resource.

[carterschonwald]

Were you doing computational or theoretical or a combo thereof ?

[Cd00d]

Neither. I'm an experimentalist. It appears to me at this point that if I were computational or a simulationist, the transition would be a bit easier.

Some of my difficulty comes from the fact that I'm limiting my search to the greater NYC area. If finance was something I was willing to do, there would be more opportunities for my background.

[carterschonwald]

Well, I'm based in NYC, let's grab coffee some time later this week or the next? I'd be interested in hearing what you're looking for etc. (and who knows, maybe someone I know is looking for you and doesn't know it!)

Point being shoot me an email! (also include some random phrase in the email and in a reply to this message so I know it's you!)

[Cd00d]

Thanks Carter. I'm actually not local yet - finishing up in Ithaca for a few more weeks. It would be great to find a time for coffee.

[carterschonwald]

identity confirmed and email replied to! :)

[TheEzEzz]

I just left a postdoc at NYU (math) to start a company. Shoot me an email if you want to grab a drink sometime (or lunch, if you don't drink).

[Cd00d]

Thanks Jordan. I've emailed you.

[carterschonwald]

can I email you too? people doing cool stuff are fun to talk to! :-)