[Nescafe]

Hi,

I was wondering if any postdocs could share with me their advice on doing a PDF right after a PhD in chemical biology in a school such as Harvard or Yale. First off, my background is a mix of organic chemistry and molecular biology. I've done my schooling at a top school in Europe and now am a bit intimidated knowing ive got an offer from both Yale and Harvard. I wonder if ive got what it takes to survive. I come from a very cutthroat sort of lab myself but in terms of skills I'm not purely organic nor molecular biologist I'm a mix. When I interviewed they were actually fond of having someone whose 50:50 but I'm not sure if I'll be outmatched skillwise by chemists as well as biologists. To be honest posstdoc at such schools feels like a bit of a pissing contest to me but I may be totally wrong and thus why the post.

Also, does Pdf these days help get into industry? Ive had no luck getting interview s with just a PhD.

Thanks
Nescafe.

[discodermolide]

Well I did a post-doc at Harvard. It is a pissing contest, no doubt. I was just a pair of hands was not really allowed to input anything into the project as the boss knew it all.
You might be better off going to a "secondary Uni" on the next tier. There you may get more from the post-doc. Columbia in New York. Or USC San diego or similar.
Don't worry about being outmatched as you put it you won't be. You do your job and things will be ok. Keep up with the literature and attend the seminars and Grad student seminars. You will learn a lot.
Good luck.

[408]

This is usual at those type of organizations.  To get there you have to be one of the big swinging dicks, and this is good for you.  If you are the best in the room, you should find a new room.  You won at a cutthroat lab before, time to do it again. 

[Nescafe]

Thanks for the advice.

I like your "to the point" advice 408. I am not sure my "d**k" is big enough for the Harvard boys but I think I will have a go at them!

When I finished my PhD I felt like I had proven myself, doing it all over again is part of reality but it kinda gets me down because I know even after I do that I gotta do it again when I find my next job, lol! Life! wish I had a few million in the bank so I could just say sod it and go travelling for a bit =)