Finding my career wings and learning how to fly

By Gabriela Gerganova, PGR Intern for Research Staff Development

I previously wrote a reflective piece on the value I gained from doing an internship in the Research Culture & Researcher Development team. In this post I aim to add a perspective on where I am at on the scientist metamorphosis scale and what comes next for me.

I finished my experimental work at the end of January 2024, and I have already been asked a dozen times ‘when are you submitting your thesis? have you started applying for jobs yet?’. Through the Pathfinder Career Narratives series, I have read about the journeys of so many PhD holders and found comfort in knowing that there are many alternative tracks I can pursue. Despite that I find it daunting to think about what is next. Not least for the fact that I still have to write several chapters of my PhD thesis, while finishing my internship in researcher development.

To top this off, I have been considering moving countries for my next career step and ruminating on the value of pursing a postdoc abroad. Well-minded colleagues have been sending me job opportunities they come across and it has been often hard to resist the temptation to ‘just apply’ for a post nearby, whilst having changing countries in mind. 

In a recent education economics analysis between a fifth and a third of PhD holders in Europe were found to be over-educated to get, or to do, their current jobs, with a particular wage disadvantage found in the private sector. In several central European countries there is an expectation of at least three first-author publications from a PhD candidate’s project. If you are not familiar with the UK postgraduate system, many PhD-awarding Universities do not require publications as a pre-requisite for awarding the degree. Since this is not a barrier to graduation, PhD candidates’ focus is often entirely channelled into obtaining data for their thesis. 

As an aspiring UK PhD holder with no original contribution articles published to date, I am acutely aware of the difficulties I will face proving my value to academic employers. Yet, I am hopeful that there is an increasing recognition in the value of the wide range of skills and experience PGRs develop in the course of the PhD and that through the recent and hopefully soon to be wide adoption of Narrative CVs, I will be able to highlight the skills and experience I have developed and my contributions to the wider researcher community.

Metamorphosis, transitions, and what comes next? 

Isn’t everyone’s dream job a mentally stimulating role, with a good balance of productivity, self-development, and a healthy lifestyle? But what does that look like for me? While I was writing this, I was looking for a picture of a crossroads to capture the multitude of options available to a newly minted PhD. I then started humming Erykah Badu’s ‘Didn’t Cha Know’ and the image of her walking in a desert got stuck in my mind. Did I ‘take a wrong turn back there somewhere’? 

So, I landed on a different image. The caterpillar transforms into a butterfly through a schedule of timed transitions. Throughout my PhD my timing has often been off; at times I became overly invested in subprojects, other times it was factors outside my control, like when I had no access to the lab during the Covid-19 pandemic, or when I broke my leg and had to take months off to heal. I didn’t have the blueprint a caterpillar has for when and how to prepare for the next stage. Fast forward to coming out of the lab after 3 years of ‘managing’ my project, I enrolled on the upskilling micro credentials project management course, run by UofG and funded by Scottish Funding Council. These newly acquired skills have allowed me to create a schedule for thesis writing and for the first time in my PhD I feel like I am almost in control of the schedule! I finally feel my newly formed science wings slowly twitching, inside my cocoon.

A part of my life that has taught me a lot about transitions is triathlon. In triathlon a transition occurs between each component of the multi-sport race, and the shorter the course, the more it matters to execute the transition quickly and with precision. In longer courses, transitions are less important. I guess I’m trying to find out if I am now in a position where I’m doing a short or long course triathlon. Arguably, the transition from PhD to my first postdoctoral appointment is akin to long distance course, and taking time in this transition to tie my shoes laces will pay off in the long run, pun intended.

I have been fortunate to observe the transitions of several researchers who I worked alongside or who have mentored me informally over the years. Through the development opportunities I have facilitated for Research Staff over the last 9 months, I have also had a snapshot of what matters to researchers making the leap into a new role. I have observed their reactions and subsequent actions after workshops, Research Staff Assemblies, and inductions that our team has delivered. Collating the monthly briefing updates for the Research Staff Assembly has allowed me to better understand the wider sector. I am now better equipped to share what I have learned and what I am taking with me into this uncertainty. My top 3 pieces of advice for anyone coming to the end of their PhD are:

1. Speak to people from all career stages. You might not be anywhere near theirs, but understanding the hoops they had to jump through to be where they are now will inform your career path for the better.
2. Every day is a school day. Being at the end of a PhD journey or a research project does not mean you should stop learning new skills. 
3. Inspire and be inspired. Your legacy remains long after you have completed your role. The place you want to be next has to be motivating, so find role models you respect.

Of course, I still don’t have an answer whether an academic career is for me, but I have seen the good, the bad and the ugly and that is enough food for thought for my personal transition. My wings are ready. Am I ready to fly out into the woods and meadows, unconstrained but also unprotected? My next blog might have the answer…