'No matter how unconventional my postdoc experience might look on paper, I’m grateful for the experience I had in all three labs. I learned valuable things along the way—about research, and about myself.' ScienceWorkingLife sl8023genius
I used to believe a perfect postdoc lab was out there waiting for me. The research would be exciting, the members happy, the funding ample. It would be similar to my doctoral lab, where I had a great experience with a passionate principal investigator and supportive coworkers. And when I started my first postdoc, I thought I had found it. I had interviewed with several PIs and received a job offer from one that seemed to check all the boxes for me.
I was warier this time because of a conversation with a former colleague after I had left my first postdoc. He had taken me aside to tell me that leaving had been a silly mistake that could jeopardize my career. I had lost a good reference and given potential future employers the impression I couldn’t keep a job. I hadn’t considered those risks the first time around; I was focused on finding a place where I could be happy, intellectually stimulated, and supported.