资深教授写给博士生的话——你需不需要做博士后？

资深教授写给博士生的话

——你需不需要做博士后？

编译：邢晨牧张媛

声明：

作者授权翻译，转载请注明原文出处:

https://www.evalefkowitz.com/blog/should-you-do-a-post-doc

九月刊执行主编：赵思齐

引言

在物理学科领域里，想要不做博士后就找到教职的，那几乎是没可能。在人文学科领域里，这种事儿倒算是不太常见。而在社会科学领域里，毕业后先做个博士后的做法正在与日俱增，虽然还没到非做不可的地步。就拿我们系（小编注：按作者经历，此处应是指宾夕法尼亚州立大学人类发展与家庭科学系）2016届的博士毕业生就业去向来举例好啦：这届毕业生中一共有9人准备入职博士后、3人将从事替代性类学术工作（小编注：即alternative academic （Alt-Ac）career，通常指的是除终身轨教职以外的高校岗位例如纯教学任务型的合同制讲师、研究员或大学行政岗位，也包括处于传统学术圈意义外围的公私立研究机构岗位）、两人已获研究型大学终身轨教职的聘任、一人获教学型大学终身轨教职，另有一人目前仍在找工作（注：该文发表日期为2016年4月11日）。我们可以窥见到：在社科领域里，能在博士毕业后就一步到位寻获教职的可能性正在变得越来越少见—虽然还不至于无法企及。

博士后是否适合你？

对于绝大部分博士生，哪怕你现在是在找教职，我还是建议大家申请一下博士后岗位。你很难预测某一年的学术求职市场是好是坏还是会有啥意外。拿出你申请本科院校时的保底思路（申请本科院校的时候不得投几个保录学校以策安全嘛），这样的话就算你一时没找到教职也能先有个博士后可做，给你在求职的过程中心里平添几分底气。但是博士后绝对不是只让你用来保底的。对很多博士生来说，博士后是你毕业后的最佳就业选项。所以在这里呢，我给大家提供几点建议来帮助你衡量一下博士后是否适合你：

第一个要问你自己的问题显然是：你的论文发表纪录够不够强大？如果你在博士毕业的时候还没几篇发表物，那你就需要通过博士后来增强自己（在学术求职上）的竞争力。如果你在毕业时已经有了相当耀眼的发表纪录（要是手头还有外部科研基金，那更是要大大地加分了），那么你说不定用不着博士后就能直接拿下终身轨教职了。

其次，你的职业目标是什么？如果你的职业目标是在顶尖的科研型大学里做终身（轨）教职，那么（毕业后）再多花几年（博士后的）时间来磨砺以下几方面的能力还是很有益处的：提高论文发表和科研基金申请的纪录、开辟出一条（比博士生时期跟着导师做科研）更独立的科研路线、以及在真正独立开展你自己的教职生涯之前获得额外的学术圈经验。如果你以后想从事教学型教职，那么在研究生院里多呆上一年来获取更多的教学经验也许能让你的学术简历更漂亮。但如果你的目标是替代性类学术工作，比方说你想去某应用型研究机构工作的，那么做博士后可能就有点多此一举了。

另外一个问题是，你对你最终能不能从事自己最理想的那种工作纠结不？如果你的目标是—我非得找到梦寐以求的工作，然后我要把这辈子都交待给它，那么两年的博士后可能多少都能帮助你把自己打造得更加趋近这个定向。如果你的目标是找终身轨教职--越快越好的那种、早点找到一份高薪工作、或者未来几年里能安安稳稳地窝在同一个地方不用再重新迁居的，那么你可能就需要撒开大网地各种终身轨教职都投一投，来看看你最终能上哪儿去。

还有一个问题是，你（求职的时候）有什么地理或者家庭因素的羁绊吗？羁绊有各式各样的，对你个人是什么影响也得具体情况具体分析。如果你觉得接下来的几年里考虑到你配偶的工作或者育儿的需要，你没法动不动就迁居异所的，那你可能需要一毕业就尽快入职一个（长期稳定的）工作岗位，跳过博士后这一步。反过来说，如果你确定你特别想要最终在某个地方落脚的，所以（到时候求职起来）给你的选择余地没那么大，那么你可能还是需要先做个博士后，这样一方面可以给你争取多一些时间等理想的工作机会出现，另一方面还能让你进一步增强赢得这类工作的竞争力。

影响你要不要做博士后的其他因素。

此外，还有一些因素也可能会影响你要不要做博士后的决定 — 就算你现阶段已经具备了拿下顶尖大学终身轨教职的能力：

博士后的工作可以扩张你的人脉版图。读博的时候，你已经有些人脉了对不对？比如导师、毕业论文评审委员会上的教授、以及一些其他的教授和同行同事。但是博士后能极大地扩展你终生的人脉版图，让你认识一群新的同行和合作者。每个资深教授基本上都有相当丰富的人脉。如果做一个博士后能让你把自己的人脉网扩大一倍，那就已经是完全不可同日而语的级差了。以我在学术会议上所观察到的：那些做过博士后的学者一般都具有更广的人脉关系。

提高你的论文发表纪录。正如之前提到的，博士后上的几年功夫能给你的学术简历增加发表物和科研基金的纪录。即使你现在就已经能拿到终身轨教职了，你先缓一缓把这几年时间花在进一步打造你的学术记录上不但能助攻你拿下你真正想要的那份工作，还能在未来评定终身教职的那一关上让你的学术记录看起来更优秀。

（利用博士后上的时间）把你的毕业论文发表出来。很多博士后岗位除了让你参与新课题之外还会允许你有时间把你的毕业论文写成发表物。

在真.人生格斗之前还能透透气。你对终身轨教职做好开跑的准备了吗？那可是要你同时能兼顾好科研、教学和校/系务服务三者的一条跑道啊。也许你已经有对其应付自如的能力了。但是如果你还没到这种火候的话，博士后可以让你几乎只需心无旁骛于科研一项。

如果把学术生涯比作人的一生，那么博士后差不多就是你的成年初显期（注：emerging adulthood，意指从青少年期结束后逐渐向成熟成年期转型过渡的人生时期，大致被定为18-25岁）。你还是个学徒，但已经不是研究生院时代那种（亦步亦趋的）学徒了；你正在走向独立，但还没到能完全自立门户的程度。在成年初显期（我们假设此时所需的成长资源是到位的情况下），你比其它任何一个人生阶段都有更自由充裕的时间来让你自己成长。放眼人的整个成年生涯里，成年初显期是探索自我定位的绝佳时机，因为这个时候犯过的错所要付出的代价是最轻的。同样的，在我们的学术生涯中，博士后阶段为你提供了试错成本较低的探索期，这种优势是你之后一旦开始了六年终身轨试用期所无法比拟的。

“我”的亲身经历

在我读博的最后一年，我面试了四个终身轨教职的岗位。这个过程中我也开始紧张起来，于是开始同时申请博士后。不久之后我得到了第一个（也是唯一一次）博士后的面试机会。整个面试流程一天之内搞定：早上6点的航班、从早到晚跑马灯似的一场场面谈、赶上当天最后一班航班返回。我在回家的路上心情其实有一点沮丧。因为我以为自己已经是个“大人”了，结果在面试时我明显感受到对方只不过在指望我做一个半大不小的成年初显期“少年”。等我回到了家之后，我收到了一通留言，是让我给宾夕法尼亚州立大学那边的系主任回电的。第二天我回电，那边的系主任通知我他们决定录用我了（就是我写本博文时的现任岗位）。我听到这个消息真是太激动了，因为这意味着我可以跳过博士后直接去当“大人”（=终身轨教职）喽！

我对我选择的职业发展轨迹并不后悔。但是，终身轨教职的那几年确实过得很辛苦。与此形成鲜明对比的，是我读博时候的一个好友的经历（职业网页链接：https://psychology.illinois.edu/directory/profile/asbenjam ）。他毕业的时候也同时面试了教职和博士后岗位，最终选择先去做博士后。我在教职的第一年里要上三门课（两门基础课；一共400个学生）、在一个教职招聘委员会承担成员工作、同时指导本科生和研究生做科研、把我的博士毕业论文写成发表物、开发新的科研项目，在做这一切的时候我是一个人、30岁、单身女、小镇居民（注：大学城小镇）。与此同时，我那位朋友在把他的博士毕业论文写成发表物、开发新的科研项目、住在多伦多这种大城市里有大把时间机会享受城市生活。最终我们都殊途同归，各自抵达了我们梦想中的彼岸。没法说这里有谁肯定对或者错。但只要想到他那两年的人生是那么度过的，我到现在还时常会羡慕嫉妒恨呢。

结语

所以你到底需不需要做博士后呢？

这个问题的答案只有你自己清楚。而且可能正确答案不止一个。

关键是要记住—做“大人”的感觉固然各种美妙，但是回头看看，如果能让我们重来一次，我们当中的许多人或许并不介意让“青春”的尾巴再多延续几年。

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Should You be A Postdoc?

In the physical sciences, postdoctoral positions appear to be all but necessary if you want an academic position. In the humanities, postdocs are relatively uncommon. And in social science, postdocs are increasingly common, but not necessary 100% of the time. Among graduates of our program in 2015-2016, we have 9 going into postdoctoral positions, 3 alt-academic positions, 2 research-focused tenure-line positions, 1 teaching-focused tenure-line position, and 1 still searching. Academic positions straight from grad programs in the social sciences are becoming rarer, but are not impossible.

I recommend to most students that even if they are doing an academic job search, they apply for postdocs as well. It is hard to know what will happen in the market in a particular year, and much like an undergraduate safety school, knowing that you could go to a postdoc if you don’t get an academic position is extremely helpful. But postdocs aren’t simply backup plans. For many students, postdocs are the best choice after grad school. Here are some suggestions for figuring out if a postdoc is right for you:

How strong is your record? The most obvious question. If you are finishing grad school with few publications, you will need a postdoc to be competitive. If you have a very strong record of publications (and, a huge plus, external funding), then you may be able to land a tenure-line position without doing a postdoc first.

What are your career goals? If your career goal is a tenure-line position at a top research university, then having a couple of years more to improve your publication and grant-getting record, to demonstrate a more independent line of research, and to gain additional experiences before launching a truly independent career can be useful. If your career goal is a teaching position, then staying in graduate school for an extra year to gain more teaching experience might be a better CV builder. And if your goal is an alt-academic career, at, for instance, an applied research institute, then a postdoc might not be the best use of time.

How ideal of a job do you want? If your goal is to find your dream job and stay there forever, then 2 years at a postdoc might help you better position yourself. If your goal is to get into a tenure-line position as soon as possible, to have a higher income quickly, or to not have to move twice in the next 3 years, then you may want to apply for tenure-line positions broadly to see where you land.

What are your geographic and/or family constraints? Constraints could lean you either one way or another. If you feel like you can’t move multiple times in the next couple of years because of a spouse’s job or children’s needs, you might want to skip a postdoc and take a job right after grad school. Alternatively, if you know your long-term goal is a job in a particular region of the country, limiting your search, you may need a postdoc, both to wait for the right job to become available, and to make yourself competitive for it.

There are a few other reasons that you might want a postdoc, even if you could land a top tenure-line job right now:

Postdocs increase your network. You have your mentor, dissertation committee, and other faculty and colleagues at your graduate school program. But if you do a postdoc, you substantially increase your lifelong network with a new set of colleagues and collaborators. Each senior person tends to have a relatively large network, and if a postdoc doubles yours, that’s can be a substantial difference. I’ve seen at conferences that people who did postdocs generally have much larger networks.

Improve your record. As described, postdocs provide time to add publications and grants to your CV. Even if you could land a tenure-line position right now, extending your record before doing so does not only help you get the right job, it helps your record when you go up for tenure.

Publish from your dissertation. Many post-doc positions will provide time to write up your dissertation work in addition to joining new projects.

Breathing room. Are you ready to launch into a tenure-line position where you truly need to balance research, teaching, and service? Perhaps you are. But if not, a postdoc gives you a period where you can almost exclusively focus on research.

Postdocs may be the emerging adulthood of the academic career. You are not a mentee in the same way that you were in graduate school, but you have not yet fully launched an independent career. During emerging adulthood, assuming adequate resources, individuals have more leisure time than during any other period of development. Emerging adulthood is an excellent time for identity exploration with fewer consequences than one would have in adulthood. Similarly, postdocs provide a period where exploration is less costly than in a tenure-line position with 6 years on the clock. Postdocs are a bridge period between graduate school and independent researcher.

In my last year of graduate school, I went on 4 interviews for tenure-line positions. I became nervous, and started applying for postdocs. Soon after I went on my first (and only) postdoc interview. I did a there and back in one day, leaving on the 6:00 AM flight, having meetings all day, and flying back on the last flight of the day. I came home a bit discouraged, in that I felt ready to be a grownup, and it was clear to me on the interview that I would be expected to be, well, an emerging adult. And when I returned home, I had a message to call the department head at Penn State, who offered me my current position the next day. I was elated that I would not have to do a postdoc and would instead get to, well, be a grownup.

I do not regret my decision or my career trajectory. And yet, it was a rough couple of years, and in sharp contrast to a good friend from grad school, who also interviewed for both academic and postdoctoral positions, and chose to do a postdoc. In my first year I taught 3 classes (2 preps; 400 students total), served on a search committee, supervised graduate and undergraduate research, worked to publish my dissertation, worked to start a new program of research, all while living in a small college town as a 30-year-old single woman. Simultaneously, my friend worked to publish his dissertation, worked on a new program of research, and lived in Toronto where he had plenty of time to enjoy city life. In the end, we both ended up where we wanted to be, we just took different paths there. Neither one was right or wrong, but I was frequently jealous of him in those 2 years.

So, should you do a postdoc? ONLY YOU KNOW, and there probably isn’t one right answer for you. Just remember – becoming an adult is great in many ways, but many of us wouldn’t mind extending the years before a bit more if we could do it all over again.

本博文《你需不需要做博士后？》（原文链接: https://www.evalefkowitz.com/blog/should-you-do-a-post-doc）于2016年4月11日在Eva Lefkowitz教授的博客（博客地址链接: https://www.evalefkowitz.com/blog ）首次发表。

“The postShould you do a post-doc? was first published on Eva Lefkowitz’s blogon April 11, 2016.”

最后，小编祝愿努力奋斗的大家能找到自己心仪的工作！