Career advice industry,research

Re: Career advice industry,research

Gina Dungworth — Mon, 31 Mar 2014 20:53:14 GMT

I'll second all that, and add that while starting a PhD in the middle of an academic year may be possible for some projects, you will miss out on a lot of useful induction stuff in the process.

Re: Career advice industry,research

An On MRCVS — Mon, 31 Mar 2014 17:56:21 GMT

Different anon here, PhD may not be the best option if you are wanting to be settled in 1 to 2 years. Most of them start in October of each year and many universities will have already allocated next year's, so if you are wanting to do it soon then you would need to get a move on! It can take a while to find the right project that you are interested in. (Lots of options on Findaphd.com, or alternatively approach staff that you vaguely remember from uni, or have researched online, to see if they are aware of anything coming up. Not everything gets advertised fully, and they are generally keen to get a vet or someone they know something about rather than a random biology person). Some/most applicants have a masters degree so that may be another thing that needs to be done first, if you want to get on a really good project!

Location wise for a PhD, I would suggest that universities with a vet school attached are likely to have more vet-related research going on, more vets working there, and probably more chance of a PhD with the vet stipend attached (Currently £21,000 per year, tax free). Vets are paid this if doing a BBSRC sponsored project and also some university funded ones. Otherwise you may end up on the £13,000.

You can have a baby whilst on a phd and you would get paid maternity leave. But depending on the topic, if you were to have several months off you might find that things had moved on in the meantime to the point where your work was no longer relevant/had been done by someone else already. Some studies would be time dependent too and not ideally suited for having time off in the middle. For example you may be having to do regular sampling, or a lot of travelling, or doing work that needs to repeated each year at particular seasons. Coming back part time might also be difficult or impossible.

Although research is a lot more pleasant and easier than practice in some ways, it does need good time management, commitment and thought which is totally different to vet work where you can generally forget about it when you are not actually at work (which might be an issue if you are one of those that gets a bit baby obsessed!).

On the plus side, the hours are flexible which could be very helpful for child related commitments. 9 to 5 weekdays is the standard hours which compares favourably to 8.30 till 7 plus weekends that vets have to do!

If you were to go down that line, I'd think carefully about the logistics of the project, and pick a supervisor who will be sympathetic to you (how flexible they allow you to be and how much money/time they will wangle you for maternity pay will depend on this).

Another thing to consider is what you will do afterwards. Post-phd, there is a very high rate of drop out from academia because there are many fewer posts at higher levels. And post doc positions are only for 2-3 years so there's little job security. People often have to move to a different institution every couple of years until they get a permanent position. I'm not really sure of what else is available for PhD holders - industry I guess.

I think you certainly can combine research (and it's a fantastically varied and rewarding career) with family - but you may have to get used to the idea of living on less money, at least for a few years.

Re: Career advice industry,research

Sammy82 — Mon, 31 Mar 2014 15:45:33 GMT

Anon, this could be me (Only I have worked in mixed practice). I have already jumped off the practice train, enjoyed a badly needed long holiday and am now looking for a job in research/ industry. I was looking at PhDs too, but as I want to start a family rather sooner than later (preferably before I am 35) binding myself for 3-4 years does not seem to be the best option. I don't think maternity and PhD go well together, plus living on 13k a year for years to come (this seems to be the highest stipendium available) does not seem attractive either.My partner's job does not pay enough to feed a family, despite very long hours.

I would be grateful for tips where to find more industry and research ads (esp Scotland),and for ideas what's out there other than practice.

Thanks

Re: Career advice industry,research

Gina Dungworth — Mon, 31 Mar 2014 13:53:50 GMT

The Association of Veterinarians in Industry (of which I'm secretary) offers Associate Membership to vets wanting to get into industry jobs, and we also have a social coming up where you could talk to a bunch of industry vets away from the bosses (theirs as well as yours!).

Drop me a PM if you want to chat about either of the above or anything else connected with industry careers.

Re: Career advice industry,research

Mark Hedberg — Mon, 31 Mar 2014 12:36:48 GMT

Drop by the management streams, there are a lot of people there who can offer advice and tips; I'm chairing a few of the sessions, come over and say hi!

Kind regards,
Mark