Published online 14 October 2009
Postdoc journal
Heart matters
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.
Leaving academia for the freelance world has its rewards.
My new role as a freelance writer has brought some interesting assignments, including interviewing students and writing their profiles for a university postgraduate handbook. Although their responses proved fascinating, it also made me question my recent decision to leave academia.
As I delved into their childhood dreams and aspirations, I saw many parallels to my own life and career that made me nostalgic for my previous life. I miss research and the social interactions of a busy lab — discussions with my three-year-old son only go so far! I was even compelled to undertake late-night searches for tenure-track positions.
But real life soon made me realize the advantages of my chosen path. My stepmother is still recovering from a heart attack that occurred five days into her holiday when she came to visit us in Colorado. During the past week at the hospital, I have been thankful for the extra time and flexibility that freelancing gives me to spend with my family. Such time is precious and transitory — my parents are getting older and my son is growing up fast.
For me right now, academia just doesn't seem flexible enough to accommodate the family life I strive for. But I am in awe of the countless women who do juggle career and family with prowess. And I wish every success to my interviewees as they embark on their research careers.
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.
