Post doc or writing fellowship

[AKJen]

I'm getting close to finishing my fieldwork and I'm at a bit of a crossroads.  I was recently forwarded an announcement for a two year post doc (with an option for a 3rd year) for which I am uniquely qualified; it is in a small field working on projects very similar to my former professional experience, but with more of an ethnographic/qualitative focus and in a different region of the world.  I've talked to the director of the program and she was pretty enthusiastic about my possible application.

This post doc would required me to submit about 9 months earlier than I'd originally planned, which is doable but going to be a stretch.  I'm also considering a few writing fellowships.  With the longer writing time, I'm running right about average in terms of length for my department and field.  This is my dilemma: does a post-doc trump more time to write and polish a dissertation?  

[fuzzylogician]

Is there a way to accept this postdoc and defer for a year? Or can you just apply to it next year instead of now? What other options would you have next year if you don't get this postdoc -- is this a one time thing in a field with few other options, or are there many other possibilities for next year? It's kind of what to say what you should do without knowing more.

I think cutting down on the writing time would make sense for a (permanent) job, but it's less clear for a postdoc. Are you planning to revise your dissertation into a book, or a few journal articles for publication? I am guessing (though I don't know for a fact) that if it's a book, the text will be scrutinized more closely in its dissertation form and having a half-based text won't help, whereas if it's journal papers then you have the time to revise the text at a later date. Also relevant, will you have the time during the postdoc to work on publications coming out of your dissertation, or do you need to get it to be in good shape before you graduate because you expect to be busy with new-job duties? 

[TakeruK]

Another way to think about this is to think about what is better for you in the long term.

This postdoc sounds especially relevant to what you want to be doing. This opportunity/position might do a lot more good towards your career goals (depending on what they are!) than polishing up your dissertation. It would depend on what other postdocs positions are generally available each year in your field and whether or not you think you would be able to find something else where something else + 1 year to polish dissertation is equal in value to you as this unique postdoc opportunity.

Applying for the position would also mean your advisors/committee might be involved? So, I would also strongly recommend talking to your advisor and your committee about this. They know how your work has been progressing and also they probably have experience knowing what kind of work/experience would be most valuable for an academic career (not saying you have to be interested in that, but they are the right people to give you advice about that path). We don't know what shape your dissertation would be in 9 months vs 1 year + 9 months from now, but they might.

Finally, applying for the postdoc doesn't mean that you will have to accept the offer. You can apply now and make a more informed decision later too! Good luck!

[rising_star]

I would apply for both the postdoc and the writing fellowships, just to see what options you end up with once everything is all said and done. In the meantime, I would proceed with writing under the assumption that you will be accepting the postdoc. That way, if you do end up going with a writing fellowship, you'll have plenty of time to revise and work on the dissertation. Since you're in anthro, the gold standard is publishing a book based on your dissertation. Typically such books require substantial revision, even from a good dissertation, in addition to finding a willing publisher. At the same time, any TT job you get will expect you to publish the book so there's going to be a portion of your research time dedicated to that...

That said, here are some of the things I would be considering, were I in your shoes:

• Publication opportunities coming from the postdoc: What will these look like and where would such research be published?
• Will you be required to get supplemental funding?
• Will the postdoc allow time for you to work on your own research (that is, research separate from the project you're being hired to work on)? (I say this because some do allot 10-20% of your time for this, though this is by no means universal).
• Pay/benefits: What will you be paid as a postdoc? As a writing fellow? What support is their for your own research? What benefits (health insurance, retirement, conference travel, etc.) is available? Will you be reimbursed for moving expenses and, if so, for how much of them?
• How likely is renewal/extension (of any of the potential options)? Under what conditions is that renewal/extension possible?

It's hard to say what you should do one way or another, especially without more information about the options. But, it's almost December so I'm in favor of keeping every viable option on the table until you can no longer do so.

[AKJen]

On November 29, 2015 at 12:18:40 AM, fuzzylogician said:

Is there a way to accept this postdoc and defer for a year? Or can you just apply to it next year instead of now? What other options would you have next year if you don't get this postdoc -- is this a one time thing in a field with few other options, or are there many other possibilities for next year? It's kind of what to say what you should do without knowing more.

I think cutting down on the writing time would make sense for a (permanent) job, but it's less clear for a postdoc. Are you planning to revise your dissertation into a book, or a few journal articles for publication? I am guessing (though I don't know for a fact) that if it's a book, the text will be scrutinized more closely in its dissertation form and having a half-based text won't help, whereas if it's journal papers then you have the time to revise the text at a later date. Also relevant, will you have the time during the postdoc to work on publications coming out of your dissertation, or do you need to get it to be in good shape before you graduate because you expect to be busy with new-job duties? 

This particular post doc is not deferrable, but the director may be able to offer more in the future and has told me she wants to work with me in the future even if it's not this particular opportunity.  So it's not a one-time opportunity, but it is particularly suited for my particular set of skills.  It's in a very specialized field, though it has connections to STS, anthropology, public health and various ethnic studies departments.  I don't mean to be cryptic, but it's a small field.  I have the same concern about it being a postdoc and not a permanent position.  My dissertation will need to become a book if I continue in academia, but I'm a bit ambivalent about a faculty position and, in recent years, presses are requiring quite a bit of revision from even very polished dissertations, as rising_star mentioned below.

Your point about carving out time for my own writing is well-taken.  This post doc is fairly divergent from my dissertation topic, but there are quite a few parallels.  This is something I'll need to clarify.  Thank you for your help!

On November 29, 2015 at 7:59:11 AM, TakeruK said:

Another way to think about this is to think about what is better for you in the long term.

This postdoc sounds especially relevant to what you want to be doing. This opportunity/position might do a lot more good towards your career goals (depending on what they are!) than polishing up your dissertation. It would depend on what other postdocs positions are generally available each year in your field and whether or not you think you would be able to find something else where something else + 1 year to polish dissertation is equal in value to you as this unique postdoc opportunity.

Applying for the position would also mean your advisors/committee might be involved? So, I would also strongly recommend talking to your advisor and your committee about this. They know how your work has been progressing and also they probably have experience knowing what kind of work/experience would be most valuable for an academic career (not saying you have to be interested in that, but they are the right people to give you advice about that path). We don't know what shape your dissertation would be in 9 months vs 1 year + 9 months from now, but they might.

Finally, applying for the postdoc doesn't mean that you will have to accept the offer. You can apply now and make a more informed decision later too! Good luck!

In the long term, this could be really good, since it offers me the chance to expand my geographic expertise.  As an anthropologist who works in North America, having additional field experience abroad could widen the field in terms of jobs. On the other hand, it would also put me back into collaborative research institute, which could be beneficial if I decide to go back into public health research, though going back into a soft money, contingent position is not my ideal. My advisor is very, very hands off, but has indicated she'd be happy to support an application.  I think I'll push her a little harder and reach out to other members of my committee.

You are totally right about application not being a commitment.  Thanks for your help!

23 hours ago, rising_star said:

I would apply for both the postdoc and the writing fellowships, just to see what options you end up with once everything is all said and done. In the meantime, I would proceed with writing under the assumption that you will be accepting the postdoc. That way, if you do end up going with a writing fellowship, you'll have plenty of time to revise and work on the dissertation. Since you're in anthro, the gold standard is publishing a book based on your dissertation. Typically such books require substantial revision, even from a good dissertation, in addition to finding a willing publisher. At the same time, any TT job you get will expect you to publish the book so there's going to be a portion of your research time dedicated to that...

That said, here are some of the things I would be considering, were I in your shoes:

• Publication opportunities coming from the postdoc: What will these look like and where would such research be published?
• Will you be required to get supplemental funding?
• Will the postdoc allow time for you to work on your own research (that is, research separate from the project you're being hired to work on)? (I say this because some do allot 10-20% of your time for this, though this is by no means universal).
• Pay/benefits: What will you be paid as a postdoc? As a writing fellow? What support is their for your own research? What benefits (health insurance, retirement, conference travel, etc.) is available? Will you be reimbursed for moving expenses and, if so, for how much of them?
• How likely is renewal/extension (of any of the potential options)? Under what conditions is that renewal/extension possible?

It's hard to say what you should do one way or another, especially without more information about the options. But, it's almost December so I'm in favor of keeping every viable option on the table until you can no longer do so.

Very good questions.  The postdoc is well funded (with benefits) but would require an international move; I don't think there will be much by way of moving expenses for any of the positions, but I tend to travel light.  Most of the writing fellowships are within the graduate stipend range, but include some research allowances and office space.  I don't know if I would be able to carve out my time for publications/prospectus/etc from my dissertation; this is something I'd need to clarify for sure!  

In terms of publication opportunities, there will be many, in quite a wide variety of formats.  It's an STS project, but the director of the center has published in STS, anthropology, public health and policy venues and will expect her post docs to do the same.  Academics in this country are expected to publish early and often.  I have some publications, but they are all from before graduate school, though they are very relevant to this post doc; this will probably be the major deficit in my application. The post doc is renewable for one year, with a slight possibility of extending further (or becoming a more permanent position), though that is dependent upon the funding status of their center grant.

So many things to think about, but I think all of you are right in that it's best to have more options rather than less.  Thanks so much for prompting me to ask some hard questions.  I'll let you know how it's going!

[AKJen]

Hey all, just wanted to give an update.  I ended up not applying for either position (post doc or writing).  Earlier this year, my mom was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimers (which she's been showing signs of since I started grad school), so I'm taking a leave of absence next year to help get some things done at home.  I don't really know how much time I'll have to write and this isn't an opportune time to take a leave, but no time would be.  Thanks for your help again.  I'll be back around in the next year, since I will be putting out some applications if I can.

[rising_star]

@AKJen, sorry to hear about your mother's illness. I wish you all the best going forward!