It is a question I get all the time when speaking with students at career discussions/employment events - is a postdoc needed for a career in industry? This is one I would love to get some engagement on from industry professionals in the PDPD Community, as I think that asking this question to 100 different people would likely mean 100 answers that differ in some way.
My answer, based off of my experience to this point, would be no, a postdoc isn't needed for a career in industry. I was able to complete my PhD and transition directly into an industrial role upon graduating. I also went into a field that didn't 100% align with what I did every day in graduate school (as a grad student, trained in synthetic organic chemistry geared towards anticancer therapeutic drug development; in my first role, hired as a Study Director/Metabolism Scientist for an ADME/DMPK group), so I looked at my first role as a "pseudo-postdoc" because I was able to build off of my graduate experience to do something quite different, while also being able to apply what I learned as a Medicinal Chemist.
This said, the advice I give to students exploring their options, is that there unfortunately isn't a "one size fits all" answer for everyone. There are numerous factors that play into your decision, including (but not limited to) where you want to live, your family situation, your (desired) financial situation, and (of course) your career desires. You have to think about all of these factors, how important each is to your ultimate career decision, and (if needed) what factor you would be willing to sacrifice if it meant meeting another of the factors.
As I said above, I would love to get some engagement from others in the PDPD Community regarding this topic - this is a popular topic of conversation with graduate students, and I am sure they would appreciate any/all advice that industrial professionals have on the topic of postdocs.
------------------------------
Bo Tokarski Ph.D.
Manager, Analytical Chemistry
Charles River Laboratories Ashland LLC
Ashland OH
[email protected]Disclaimer: Opinions expressed are solely my own and do not express the views or opinions of my employer.
------------------------------