• thevoidzero@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    Where are you going? I’m currently on last yr of PhD and thinking of leaving, but I don’t know if I should abandon the PhD to leave or not. I’d like to finish it, at least do it remotely, but chances of finding work immediately after PhD are slim.

    • azimir@lemmy.ml
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      2 days ago

      The position is in Germany. It might be out of the frying pan and into the fire given Germany’s right wing rise, but that’s happening across the western nations and we’re all in trouble.

      I don’t have a ton of advice for you. I defended over 10 years ago, so I’m moving straight into a tenured/permanent position as senior faculty. For an ABD, I’m not sure what the landscape looks like these days.

      If you want to make the move, start talking to people. Reach out to people publishing in your field and talk shop. Collaborate with them, talk about the future, and be willing to take a postdoc (or german system W1) position. It’s more ramen and a small bedroom, but it’s one where there’s healthcare and civil rights.

      Academia (and most professions) are all about networks. Talk with people, collaborate, and grow that network. Something will come along.

      • thevoidzero@lemmy.world
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        2 days ago

        Thank you. I have a family to worry about so can’t survive on ramen alone… But I’ll look for other countries postdoc and such. I’m a bit scared of moving somewhere I don’t know the local language now because of how things are going in the US, if something like this happens and I can’t understand their language I’d not even know the dangers.

        • azimir@lemmy.ml
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          19 hours ago

          My university in Germany operates entirely in English. The academic world is very international so it often falls back to English to support the faculty and students. Issues in the community will also be run through the university news routes, so while I’ve been learning German, I’ll also have a big resource with my work community.

          There’s a few places to check for positions. I interviewed in Ireland and Scotland as well (didn’t get the jobs). There’s also Australia and new Zealand hiding out there. Or Canada. Hell, Mexico has a great university system you could look into.

          Your PhD does open new doors. It’s by no means a guarantee of a faculty spot, but it’s valued so you can leverage it.