Published online 5 August 2009
Postdoc journal
Footloose and freelance?
Joanne Isaac
Joanne Isaac was a postdoc in climate-change effects on biodiversity at James Cook University, Townsville, Australia. She is now in the United States so that her husband can complete a postdoc.
Taking the plunge into freelance writing.
I have decided to opt out of academia, at least for the foreseeable future. This will come as no surprise to those who know me, nor to anyone who has been following my Postdoc Journal. Although I feel that a great weight has been lifted from my shoulders, this decision raises another concern — my husband's postdoc salary alone won't support the family.
I am now entertaining the idea of becoming a freelance writer; the autonomy and ability to work from home hold great appeal. After dabbling with writing last year, I had some modest success and published articles on science and the environment in a number of magazines — although I wonder if this was beginner's luck. Finding assignments has become harder of late. Initially, I rather naively, and perhaps somewhat arrogantly, assumed that editors would be clamouring for articles from scientists with a PhD. Now I realize I am one of a legion of academics-turned-writers — a rookie in a world of shrinking magazine markets.
Still, like most academics, I am well-acquainted with rejection and my thick skin will surely serve me well as a freelancer. While I strive to rid myself of the terrible writing habits common to scientists, I have managed to find some writing and editing work from contacts in Australia and I hope to find assignments in the United States. I remain quietly optimistic about my freelancing future.
Postdoc Journal Keepers 2009
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Julia BoughnerJulia Boughner is a postdoc in evolutionary developmental biology at the University of Calgary, Canada.
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Bryan VentersBryan Venters is a postdoc in biochemistry and molecular biology at Pennsylvania State University.
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Joanne IsaacJoanne Isaac was a postdoc studying the effect of climate change on biodiversity at James Cook University in Townsville, Australia. She is now in the United States so that her husband can complete a postdoc.
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Sam WalcottSam Walcott is a postdoc in theoretical biophysics at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.
