Young researchers are often disoriented what they should do with their expertise and whether they will find a job after their doctorate or postdoc. The good news is that the unemployment rate of PhD holders is surprisingly low. The bad news is that young scientists often do not work in the field they have expected.
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Everybody will tell you that it is essential to go to a famous university for a successful career in science. Important arguments are the network you build (for example, via alumni associations), the excellent infrastructure and the great scientists you might connect with. But is it real or is it a myth?
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Postdocs often struggle with their publication list. They become the famous “second author”. However, if you strive for a successful academic career, you may have to negotiate better with your supervisor to get first and last authorships to build your career.
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Attending a scientific meeting can be very inspiring. It may broaden your network and help you to make yourself and your research visible to a broad audience. But it is also often time-consuming and expensive. How do you choose the right meetings to attend?
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Young researchers often ask: what is the ideal length of a postdoc? There are many different answers which depend on the field, the country, the university, the supervisor and funding institutions. To get good advice on the best length you should strategically investigate your field. Get some ideas here.
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Many young scientists fear that they are not investing enough in their scientific career, however, it is often not clear what exactly they should do and how important different aspects are such as publications, grants, teaching, mobility, technical skills and just being a good scientist. Find some directions here.
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It is often tempting for young scientists to aim for co-authorships on papers published in journals with a high impact factor. But is it a clever career move?
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Every research project has four typical emotional phases: You start with naïve enthusiasm, become competent and disillusioned, you want to give up (“The Dip”), you recover and finally you round up and exit. How to handle “The Dip”?
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Young scientists often get the advice that they *must* work abroad for several years to pursue a career in science. But is this really true? There are multiple arguments for and against this often-heard advice.
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Young scientists are often in a dilemma when applying for funding. Should they submit grant proposals under their own name with the risk of not getting the money or should they submit under their supervisor’s name with the risk to be scientifically dependent?
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In order to get grants or academic positions it is often necessary to show scientific independence. But how do you do that? The following strategies will help young scientists to develop and demonstrate scientific independence.
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Young scientists often get contradictory advice whether they need teaching expertise to become a professor or not. Every university will confirm that teaching is the core expertise of a professor, however, successful researchers may see teaching as a waste of time and unimportant to get a position.
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