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Why A Postdoctoral Researcher Position Pays Less Than A Librarian Salary

“Wait, a first year postdoctoral researcher position pays how much?”

I looked up from my labmate’s computer screen and back down again.

There it was on both the National Institutes of Health and the National Postdoc Association webpages.

The number was so small I couldn’t believe it.

“Not very much is it?” he said.

No, it wasn’t very much at all.

It was pathetic. In fact, it was demeaning.

It was less than librarians, mail carriers, and garbage collectors make.

But this wasn’t the worse part.

The worst part was that most postdocs didn’t get any benefits either.

At many Universities, once you went from being a graduate student to being a postdoc, your healthcare benefits were dropped.

If you paid enough, you could get put on one of the University’s most expensive, lowest coverage healthcare packages.

But all other benefits were nonexistent.

Retirement?

Forget about it.

A report from the National Postdoc Association shows that only 41% Institutionally Funded Postdoc Employees and only 17% of Institutionally Funded Postdoc Trainees receive matched contribution to a retirement plan.

I couldn’t believe it.

It was the middle of my second year of graduate school and all of this was shocking to me.

I seriously thought that once I got my PhD I would be taken care of.

I figured that PhDs made close to six figures right after graduation, even as a postdoc.

Dozens of questions filled my head.

What am I doing here?

What am I working for?

Did I really dedicate over 20 years to academia for this?

I felt used and helpless, sad and depressed.

I made a decision right there to never do a postdoc, but ended up applying to postdocs my final year anyway because it was what everyone else was doing.

It’s all that I thought I could do.

Luckily, I was wrong.

As my final year came to a close, I came up with a job search strategy that got me several industry job offers.

A few years later, I got together with some other industry PhDs and we worked out a system for helping graduate students and postdocs get high-level industry jobs.

Things are not any better for PhDs in academia but they are better than ever in industry.

Why You Should Quit Your Postdoc Position

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median pay of a Librarian is $55,370 per year.

The Bureau also reports that the median annual salary of postal service mail carriers, as in mailmen and mailwomen, is $57,200.

Meanwhile, according to the National Institutes of Health and the National Postdoctoral Association, 5th year postdocs make $52,116.

In other words…

A scientific postdoc with a doctoral degree (to be redundant) with 5 years of experience makes ~$4,000 less than the typical librarian and ~$5,000 less than the typical postal carrier.

Okay, but maybe you’re thinking that you won’t stay a postdoc for 5 years.

If this is what you’re thinking, you’re wrong.

The director for extramural research at the National Institutes of Health reports that the average length of postdoc time in the sciences has stretched from around two years to over five years.

It only gets worse if you’re a first year postdoc.

First year postdocs make $42,840 while the average garbage collector makes $43,000 a year.

The hard truth is academic postdocs are not valuable.

It’s simple economics.

The supply of postdocs in academia far exceeds the demand for them.

This makes postdocs essentially worthless in academia.

Argue all you want, but the data don’t lie.

If you’re an academic postdoc, you are worth less than librarians, mail carriers, and garbage collectors.

The end.

You can’t deny this.

The good news is that in industry you are worth much more.

Accept That The Academic System Cannot Be Fixed

Every year a few articles come out from lifetime academics or academic journal editors touting the increase in pay for postdocs.

Postdoc payday!

Postdoc salaries are on the rise!

But what they neglect to tell you is that salaries for many positions are on the rise.

They also neglect to account for inflation.

Most importantly, they neglect to mention that a slight increase from an abysmally small number is meaningless.

100% of 0 is still 0, so to speak.

You could increase postdoc salaries by 10% right now across the board, which would be a giant raise, and a first year postdoc would still make ~$10,000 less a year than a mail carrier.

Academia cannot be fixed.

There is no funding and there are no jobs.

The NIH Director reported in USA Today that the NIH has lost 25% of its purchasing power.

At a certain point, you need to stop trying to fix or adapt to the system and instead, leave the system.

How To Transition Out Of Academia

The only way to escape a dead-end postdoctoral researcher position is to develop an intelligent job search strategy.

But before you do this, you need to drop your poor academic mindset.

You need to change your perspective and change what you value.

For example, you must stop writing a bloated, self-indulgent resume that no one will ever read.

You must stop believing that your publications will matter to recruiters and industry hiring managers.

They don’t.

You must also start creating a real networking strategy and start leaving the lab to go to seminars, conferences, job fairs, and daytime networking events.

Most importantly, you can’t keep executing the same twenty-year old, career-killing job search mistakes that keep getting regurgitated online.

You need to get access to exclusive, high-level job search information.

You need to get access to a quality network of PhDs and industry professionals who will support you during your transition.

You can either get access to this information and these contacts, or not. It’s up to you.

3 New Cheeky Scientist Association Success Stories

With the way things are in academia, it can seem like there’s no hope for postdocs.

It can make you feel helpless and even foolish for getting a PhD in the first place.

But don’t lose hope.

There is a better career and a better life waiting for you if you stop burying your head in the sand and instead, take action to improve your situation.

It’s possible and it’s been done by hundreds of other postdocs and graduate students in the Cheeky Scientist Association.

Here are 5 new Cheeky Scientist Association success stories…

“I was looking for an industry job for over a year without any luck. Now, I’m a Medical Science Liaison for a top pharmaceutical company. What happened? I joined the Cheeky Scientist Association. After joining, I was really impressed with the quality of the private group. The amount of support and high-level insights were invaluable to me. I was able to have in-depth conversations with other Associates, learning from the resumes they shared and the networking and interviewing experiences they had. I also got to attend live webinars and workshops with top MSLs and other industry professionals. After making a few key changes to my own resume, interview presentation style, and networking strategy, I was suddenly hired. It all happened very quickly after I got my strategy in place. I couldn’t be happier now. I finally have the career and life I’ve always wanted.”

Yuri Klyachkin, Ph.D
Now A Medical Science Liaison At Bristol-Myers Squibb

“Prior to joining the Association, I was a postdoc and working in a lab just like I had been for the last several years. Though I love science I realized that academia was not for me. Since budgets are cut more and more a lot of labs turn into an environment full of fear and jealousy where publications are “produced” under high pressure, which has nothing to do with the innovative, cool science I wanted to be doing. I wanted to move on and do something new but I felt stuck and like I didn’t have any job options or good connections. I realized I needed to change strategies and joined the Association. Since becoming a Cheeky Scientist Associate, I’ve been on several interviews and have had numerous recruiters contact me. I recently got the industry job of my dreams and I’m still having recruiters contact me. The Cheeky Scientist Association continues to keep me one step ahead in my industry career. I really enjoy interacting with the private online groups and know that I can ask questions and get support whenever I need it. The Association is a great resource for any postdoc, PhD, or Phd student.”

Karin Weigelt
Account Manager at Bio-Rad Laboratories

“The Cheeky Scientist Association took me from being very unsure on how to approach my job search to getting an industry position above the one I interviewed for and a correspondingly much bigger salary package. Trust me, the program is worth every penny. The Association takes you through the broad strokes of networking and designing a job search strategy to concrete practical tips like inserting the right result in the right place on your resume and saying “any reasonable offer will be considered” when asked how much you expect to earn during an interview. The resume workshop in particular was a game-changer. The only people that shouldn’t join this program are PhDs who want to keep procrastinating and making excuses for why they are still stuck in academia.”

Aaron Gajadhar, Ph.D.
Now A Senior Scientist at Merrimack Pharmaceuticals

Read more success stories here.

You don’t have to accept being an overworked and underpaid postdoc.

You don’t have to accept being valued less than a librarian, mail carrier, or garbage collector.

You deserve better. You deserve to do meaningful work and to be paid well for it. But it’s not going to happen on its own. You need to take action. You need to get access to top-level job search information and a top-level industry network to support you during your transition. Either start creating an intelligent job search strategy now or settle in, because you’re going to be in academia for a long time.

If you’re ready to start your transition into industry, you can apply to book a free Transition Call with our founder Isaiah Hankel, PhD or one of our Transition Specialists. Apply to book a Transition Call here.

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ABOUT ISAIAH HANKEL, PHD

CEO, CHEEKY SCIENTIST & SUCCESS MENTOR TO PHDS

Dr. Isaiah Hankel is the Founder and CEO of Cheeky Scientist. His articles, podcasts and trainings are consumed annually by millions of PhDs and other professionals in hundreds of different countries. He has helped PhDs transition into top companies like Amazon, Google, Apple, Intel, Dow Chemical, BASF, Merck, Genentech, Home Depot, Nestle, Hilton, SpaceX, Tesla, Syngenta, the CDC, UN and Ford Foundation.

Dr. Hankel has published 3X bestselling books and his latest book, The Power of a PhD, debuted on the Barnes & Noble bestseller list. His methods for getting PhDs hired have been featured in the Harvard Business Review, Nature, Forbes, The Guardian, Fast Company, Entrepreneur Magazine and Success Magazine.

Isaiah Hankel, PhD

Here's What Others Are Saying

"I landed a dream job as a revenue management analyst at british airways."

James Washak

James Washak

Revenue Management Analyst

at British Airways

"I attended the Transition CHALLENGE and VIP Modality and, as a result, in less than 2 months I have participated in 8 interesting interviews and been offered a wonderful job full of opportunities! Thank you so much for all the great and necessary work you do!"

Veronica Pascual

Veronica Pascual

Research Projects Coordinator

at SEMERGEN

"Thank you for the assistance from the CSA these last couple of months. I was offered the position with a life science investment firm this week and I happily accepted the offer. Growth with the company is guaranteed and I hope that this will be the last time I have to interview in NYC (lol)."

Ilke Roelofse

Ilke Roelofse

"I started my new job as an MSL on the 13th. I never would have got an interview without your company's help on CV and interview prep. I am on a much better salary and have a much better quality of life than I did as a postdoc. So thank you."

Edward Law

Edward Law

MSL

at AbbVie

"Going with Nyxoah! Thank you for all your help Isaiah!"

Pratik Chhatbar

Pratik Chhatbar

Senior Clinical Research Scientist

at Nxyoah

"I want to notify you I have gotten an industry position...Thank you and Cheeky Scientist for the lessons which made my job search strategy and CV more competitive."

Michael Dioha

Michael Dioha

Senior Energy System Analyst

at Clean Air Task Force

"Thrilled to announce that I have joined a new role as a Research Associate at HJF to work at the WRAIR. Very excited to join a dedicated and brilliant team working to eradicate HIV. Thanks to my family, friends, and fellow Cheeky associates for their support in my job hunt journey.""

 Lakshmi Rani Iyer

Lakshmi Rani Iyer

Research Associate

at HJF

"I'm happy to share that I'm stating a new position as Medical Science Liaison at Celltrion Healthcare Co, Ltd.!"

Tammy Virdi

Tammy Virdi

MSL

at Celltrion Healthcare Co, Ltd

"I just accepted an offer to be a Clinical Researcher Coordinator for a pain clinic near me. I'll be helping them run their clinical trial that uses a device to stimulate nerves to relieve patients pain. I start next Wednesday. So excited! I wanted to say thanks to Isaiah and all the members of the Cheeky team for your help! I really appreciate it!"

Natasha Fowler

Natasha Fowler

Clinical Research Coordinator

at Columbia Pain Management, P.C

"I just wanted to say that I officially accepted a job! I want to thank everyone at Cheeky Scientist for all the help and support. Overall, my job search went pretty smoothly and I have CS to thank for that. I am now convinced that making connections and networking is how you find jobs, and once I began implementing what CS teaches, I started to see more results. I hope this helps others who are in the job search process!"

Jack Schultz

Jack Schultz

Research Computer Scientist

at Southwest Research Institute

"A new chapter begins! I'm thrilled to launch Wenwirth Scientific, where sincere meets creativity with a mission to make medical communication more engaging, impactful, and effective. I am ready to bring game-changing ideas to help you unleash the power of words and medicine. Many thanks to those who have supported me in this journey, I can't wait to work with you and start serving the healthcare community and patients."

Huey Wen Lee

Huey Wen Lee

Creative Medical Communications

at Wenworth Scientific

"I'm happy to share that I am starting a new position as Senior Scientist at Eikon Therapeutics!"

Hank Cheng

Hank Cheng

Senior Scientist

at Eikon Therapeutics

"Hi Isaiah, I got hired yesterday!....Thanks for all of your encouragement provided by way of your presentations."

Beverly Brereton

Beverly Brereton

Compliance Manager

at Enel North America

"I am happy to share I am starting a new position!"

Kamrul Hansen

Kamrul Hansen

Principal Scientist - Analytical Technology

at Servier Pharmaceuticals

"'....all the modules and associates really helped me understand the job and interview aspects really well. Meera specially helped me a lot prepare for the 8 interviews (written, analytical, on-site, assessments). She was very prompt in responding to my questions and concerns and really helped me keep my morale whenever I felt I might loose this position.... This is something I was looking for in a job so it is perfect for me."

Haymanti Bhanot

Haymanti Bhanot

Editorial

at Elsevier

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