314 18 JANUARY 2019 • VOL 363 ISSUE 6424 sciencemag.org SCIENCE
WORKING LIFE
Three years earlier, I had started
my postdoc brimming with enthu-
siasm, excited to work for a brilliant
scientist on a project that, we hoped,
would help people with hearing
loss—a group that includes me.
My enthusiasm was short-lived.
Almost as soon as I arrived, it be-
came clear that the lab had prob-
lems. For one, my supervisor had
been receiving animal care viola-
tion warnings for the lab’s work
with mice for years. They contin-
ued to pile up during my tenure,
at times forcing us to suspend our
experiments. Eventually, our fund-
ing was cut off entirely and the lab
was shut down.
I ended up digging out of the
mess and moving on to a second
postdoc. Now I’m back to doing
research that I love in a functional
lab, and I’m glad I persevered. But
looking back, I wish I hadn’t sunk so much time into my
first postdoc lab. I should have quit and moved on much
sooner. For others who may be in similar situations, here
are tips to avoid drowning with a sinking ship.DO NOT BE BLINDED BY PASSION. Enthusiasm and drive are
key ingredients for scientific careers. However, they can be
problematic when they prevent you from seeing warning
signs clearly. My intense desire to find treatments to re-
verse hearing loss led me to mistakenly write off serious lab
issues as small bumps in the road. Had I been more objec-
tive, I would have realized that those “bumps” were actually
major obstacles.TAKE PERSONNEL DYNAMICS SERIOUSLY. Collaboration and
teamwork are essential in science; you can’t function as an
island. Blinded by passion, I disregarded the lack of honestcommunication with my supervi-
sor about the problems in our lab.
In retrospect, that was an obvious
warning sign.DO NOT BE TRAPPED BY FEAR. I fretted
that if I didn’t publish anything from
my postdoc, no one would hire me.
That’s one reason I stuck with my ill-
fated lab. But the concern turned out
to be unfounded. Finding a new po-
sition after I was laid off wasn’t easy,
but I survived by being transparent
about what happened and pushing
forward with confidence. One thing
that helped me move past my post-
doc mess was looking back at my
past successes to remind myself that
I am a good scientist.FOCUS ON YOURSELF. Pointing fin-
gers is easy, but burning bridges—
and wasting energy on casting
blame—won’t help you move forward. When problems
arise, don’t engage in pointless battles. Instead, take stock
of your situation and decide what’s best for you. Write down
the pros and cons of your job; examine your career goals;
and talk to your trusted mentors, colleagues, friends, and
family. Along the way, be open to the possibility that it may
be best to quit.DO NOT WAIT FOR THE LAST STRIKE. Don’t waste time in a bad
environment. During my 3 years in my first postdoc lab,
there were many times when I should have quit, but instead
I hung on, hoping the situation would improve. Your life is
not a game. Don’t wait for strike three. jVictor S. C. Wong is a postdoctoral fellow at Weill
Cornell Medicine in New York City. Send your career
story to [email protected].Lessons from a postdoc gone wrong
I
sat hunched over my computer screen, analyzing data, when a university administrator walked
into our lab and handed out a series of sealed envelopes. Puzzled, I opened the letter addressed
to me: “It has become necessary for the University to effect a layoff of your position as a Post-
doctoral Scholar.” In silence, my labmates opened their own letters, all of which said essentially
the same thing. I knew that our lab was under investigation, but I had no inkling that my job was
in jeopardy, so the news came as a huge shock. My mind raced from concerns about my personal
finances—“How will I pay rent?”—to questions about my future in science: “How will we finish our
experiments? Will this mark the end of my research career?”By Victor S. C. Wong
ILLUSTRATION:^ R
OBERT NEUBECKER“I wish I hadn’t sunk so much
time into my first postdoc.”
Published by AAASon January 21, 2019^http://science.sciencemag.org/Downloaded from