hejduk

I started my MA at age 25, and completed at 27.

$450/month. I eat plenty clean, organic as much as possible or when necessary (use the Dirty Dozen app to find food you don't need to purchase organic) and a flexitarian diet. But I also have a spouse...

Also given my above response, anyone have suggestions on how to possibly salvage my reputation before even arriving in the lab? Is it even possible at this point? Stressed beyond belief, but don't want to give up on such a good opportunity (VERY difficulty and not very common to find a postdoc in my field, and the credential will help my ultimate goals of working permanently in Europe). However, these red flags and feelings in my gut are hard to get over.

A late response, but updated with my current situation (feel free to PM if I can provide more details or incidences I've experienced that are creating doubt in my mind of taking this position). Some clarification of a postdoc i'm scheduled to start soon: In the US, it's common to ask questions prior to joining the team, but I have been getting a lot of evasive answers. When I've asked my PI if I could converse with previous postdocs, he deferred my question to another coworker in the lab. When I ever I attempt to email that person, he/she always CC's the PI. Basically, there is no opportunity to ask current or previous workers about their work experience with any sense of anonymity. It just seems really weird to me, as well as my faculty mentors, and almost sets off red flags. I¹ve asked my coworker for some communication with previous postdocs, and again, no response. Additionally, my PI made a comment during my Skype interview asking, "Are you committed to the full two years?" When going into something such as a postdoc, you are committed to seeing through the project, but you are also aware of it¹s temporary nature, and therefore must constantly look for jobs. I need to speak with previous postdocs so that I can learn if postdocs left in bad circumstances? Or have they left early for "greener pastures" and not given the support to pursue those opportunities? Working for the lab would be a great opportunity, but I need to be ensured the work environment is supportive, that mentorship is available from PI, etc. I also know that by asking my PI and my coworkers these questions, it has created some doubt regarding my commitment and abilities to be reliable. At this point, maybe I've created so much doubt in their minds I should just not take it and move on? The last I want to do is move, take on a new position, and start with the reputation of "the wish washy, non-commital, unreliable researcher from that other country". I don¹t mean to create any such perceptions within my new lab, but again, it's normal to ask these questions in US labs, and I must before moving my entire family to a new culture!

Say that I have a 2-year postdoc, but along comes an opportunity for my dream job (permanent faculty position in my disclipline in the desired country). Is it okay to leave a postdoc early? Postdocs are temporary in nature, but what can you do to not burn bridges?

Anyone recommend a good social science editor to help with editing my dissertation either into a book or pubs? Used an editor before, but they weren't in my discipline, and the results were disastrous.

I recently defended my proposal, however, I have some significant edits to complete. I expect that these edits will take 1-2 weeks to complete, 1 week for IRB, 1 week for data collection, and then writeup the results by the beginning of August. Here's the catch: my advisor seems to think that I won't be done by August. My other committee members think I definitely complete everything by then, but ultimately, the advisor is who has to sign forms, etc. My advisor has doubted my ability to complete things in a short time frame before, so do I just push ahead and work as hard as I can, and prove him wrong by getting things done in a timely manner? Quite frustrated, and would love some advice on how to handle the situation. I'm thinking of preparing a timeframe on a 3-month printout to provide a visual reference for how long each part of the process will take, with completion in August. I've proven my advisor wrong before, and I have the faith of other faculty that I can complete, so why not try? (if you're wondering "why not just take another semester", I desperately need to get a job, and "move on" in my academic life)

Yah, my bad with using the "academic" term for describing sites. Facebook and Google+ are both sites that I have seen academics posting professional profiles. So you don't post pubs or anything on Academia or ResearchGate? I have this overwhelming pressure (self-made) to constantly post and update my profile across all platforms.

It seems everyday that another site comes along that we "must" join in order to keep our profiles out there. So, how many sites do you have a profile on?

I need to deploy an online survey in the US, Belgium, and Estonia. I mostly need funding for survey participant recruitment, translation of the survey into Flemish and Estonian, and *possibly* travel to those countries (if needed). I've cobbled together some small funds available at my school, but it won't be enough to fund the project. Ultimately, I may have to pay some out of pocket in order to get done in the timeframe I'm seeking.

Looking for funding avenues for dissertation funding, specifically for travel and deployment of survey (including translation into other languages). My university seems to be lacking resources, so I'm frantically trying to find last minute resources that have a short application window, and can be utilized in a relatively short time frame.

I applied for a Fulbright Scholar grant, and haven't heard back yet. While the type of award does affect the response date, the location of the grant affects it as well. Not all regions notify at the same time, but rather have to notify by the the end notification date. The notification timeline (http://www.cies.org/us_scholars/us_awards/Notification-Timeline.htm) states Scholar applicants are notified between November-December, but no specific dates.

Oh good lord, NO! I wish I had received a confirmation for a recommendation! As mentioned, I have a dissertation to complete, so I have plenty of stuff to work on while I wait. My application stated I'd have my dissertation completed prior to the Fulbright, so I have **quite** some pressure to get that done. Yah, i might be regretting that decision to put that in my statement...

I think user "Amirah" might possibly be confusing the Scholar award with the Student award? I pose that as I too applied for a scholar position, and from my understanding, there should be no further requests for additional documents. With the Scholar award, you make it through the national review (announced Nov-Dec), and then are forwarded on to the country, with final decisions being made by May 2014. It's a horrible wait, but fortunately, like many others here, I have quite a bit to get done, which helps with "passing time". No dissertation, no scholar award (if granted)!

I'm embarrassed about how long it took to finally reply to this, but such is the life of graduate student! Sorry! I ended-up applying for my conference, and am in the initial stages of planning about how to contact potential postdoc supervisors. How does one contact such profs about wanting to meet with them, without sounding weird and needy? How do I avoid coming across like "Can I meet with you so that I can hopefully persuade you to give me a postdoc?"