Psychology/Cognitive Neuroscience PhD --> science communication/journalism/publishing?

[sumonewhoisntme]

Hi! I'm not currently a PhD student or recent graduate but am considering a PhD in cognitive neuroscience (in a psych department). I love learning about the brain/mind and want to continue onwards toward a terminal degree, but I worry about the longterm job options. I'm aware that academic positions are scarce these days. I'm not interested in tech/industry positions at all (it seems like a common alternative path for cognitive neuroscience people is to pursue Data Science positions in big tech companies, which totally isn't for me). I'm just a neuro-nerd who wants to learn a lot about the brain/mind and write about neuroscience/psychology/philosophy for the average lay person and possibly develop my multimedia arts skills (e.g. animation, video production) to create educational content. If possible, I'd also like some kind of formal training to be qualified to work in wet labs (e.g. brain banking with some public outreach maybe)

What is the market like for these jobs? Is there decent job security? Where do science communicators work? What do their jobs entail? What are average salary ranges? And do you even need a PhD to get these kinds of jobs? (Would a Masters degree suffice?)

Also, if I were to get my PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience (which tends to be a bit more psychology-leaning and probably more mathematics/stats-heavy than a neurobiology PhD), would I be qualified to write and create content about more "traditional" biology-based neuroscience? Or might I be better off pursuing a more traditional neurobiology path if I think I might also want to write more broadly about neurobiology and medical topics? (Boston University offers a really cool Masters and PhD option through their medical school: https://www.bumc.bu.edu/anatneuro/ )

Edited April 27, 2021 by sumonewhoisntme

[Marek21]

Hi, Of course, it's up to you to choose, but it's better to go there with what it is more convenient for you to work with.