is a bird in the hand worth two in the bush?

[uncertain]

I bet this is a problem that many of us have: an offer for a position that was at the bottom of our wish list, still waiting on more desirable positions, and unsure whether to take the bird in the hand or wait and hope to snare one still in the bush...

My situation: a decent senior researcher gig, mid-low prestige, mid-level pay, 3 year contract with a possibility of permanent hire later. Taking this job won't necessary kill my chances of a TT position later down the road and it's work that is very closely related to my diss and my interests. However, for my personal life, this job is awful - VERY far away from the spouse and family, a too-soon starting date (I'd have to jump on a plane literally days after my defense), adn in a less than ideal location.

There are a lot of postdocs still pending out there that I would definitely prefer. But no idea that I'd get them! Short of contacting some of my top choices to try and get them to give me an update, do any of ya'll have advice? Would I be crazy to turn down any gig in this market, even a relatively problematic one? I asked for two weeks to decide so the clock is ticking...

[hmmm]

What happens if you don't take it, and then do not get another offer? Because in this market that is certainly a possibility and you should think that through before you decide what you want to do...

[thoughts]

Have you had any nibbles/interviews already from these other searches?

At the very least you should call to find out the status of the other searches. Particularly given the market, if you have an offer in hand I might go so far as to contact them ASAP, let them know you have an offer, let them know you are very interested in their position, and let them know your timeline. If you're already towards the top of their list they may bite. You don't really have anything to lose at this point and you might get another offer.

[thoughtsseconded]

I second the approach "thoughts" suggests above. I did exactly that when I got an offer, and one of the five schools I contacted (I only contacted my top 5) emailed me back immediately and asked if I could interview with them before making my decision. I ended up taking the first offer because it was an all around better fit, but I got to check out another campus/department and make an informed decision with options.

[2cemts]

If you could make it financially without this position or the others you are waiting to hear from, my inclination would be to say no. Maybe if it was only a job you don't really want or a big family inconvenience it would be worth accepting but with both these negative strikes, I would be very hesitant.

You could try to string them along for a few weeks given that postdocs decisions should be made in the next month (assuming that you are still considering saying yes if postdocs fall through).

Tough situation.

[advice]

Last year, I also had an offer from a job I really didn't want, more so for professional than for personal reasons. It was a VAP with a very heavy teaching load, very low salary, and what I thought was an unreasonably long contract, although the location was good for personal reasons. In the end, I turned it down (which admittedly took some guts) and a few months later something else came along that was a much better fit. What I learned from this experience is that I think the key is to make the decision about whether or not to take this position based solely on whether you want this position--independent of what could possibly happen with other positions down the road, because you just don't know. I know that seems hard to do, but trust me don't try to predict the future. You'll be much happier in the end if you listen to what your gut tells you about this specific job.

That said, I know the jobs situation seems dire, but the truth is its only February. While the academic market for this year may be on the tail end, if you're open to research jobs (which it seems like you are as this position is a research job), then you've still got some time. You've worked long and hard to get this Ph.D., and I wouldn't sell myself to something I wasn't so excited about this early if you can afford it financially, especially for three years. Plus, I would never ever take a job that did not permit me to live with my spouse and children. That's where I draw the line, but it's largely a personal decision and to each his or her own.

[not yet bitter]

It seems like the personal, rather than the professional, is the real deal-killer here. A job is just a job. Your family is made up of people who need you. Can you support yourselves until somthing reasonable comes along?

[reality111]

I think it is a little Pollyannish to assume that everything will work out if you just "wait" for a job that "feels good", however, I would also advise against taking a job just because you have an offer, especially if you can afford to wait another year. If on the other hand, the job puts you in a better financial situation and allows you some time to get your work done and publish then it is actually a good choice in this climate.

Let's face it, you can't always get what you want and unless you are independently wealthy you may have to make some sacrifices from time to time to get by--that is what the non-academic, non-wealthy world has to do. If you can't move your family then I assume that is because your spouse has a decent job which probably means you can wait. If they are able to move then do it--Harvard isn't going to wait for you . in any event, three years is not that long and it sounds like the job is related to your research so it won't hurt your scholarship at all. To the contrary, it may actually help!

Of course, you should also try to buy as much time as possible and see what sort of market leverage an offer can get you with other jobs, but if you really need the job and can't risk being unemployed another year, I really don't see what is so bad about your offer. It may also be that "mid-level pay" in a "less desirable" city may not be too bad if the cost of living is low. As far as the prestige goes I wouldn't get caught up in that as long as you publish and maintain connections to those doing research in your area.

[tnrd]

reality111 said above: "it sounds like the job is related to your research so it won't hurt your scholarship at all"

This is not so simple. You should look into whether people are allowed to publish from the work they perform at the organization and you may also want to follow up to see whether they actually do. If they do not then you might want to ask around as to why.

Leaving academia does hurt many people's chances of getting an academic job later. This does not need to be the case, but it would be naive to go into it thinking that there may not be such repercussions.

Regardless, it sounds like you're really negative about this position, which is a really bad way to start a job so if you can afford not to take it then perhaps you shouldn't.

[money]

Sounds like most people tend to agree on one thing--$$. If you can afford to wait, wait. If not, then you have a real decision to make. Good luck.

[Yanick]

Feb 22, 2010 23:07:29 GMT -5 tnrd said:

reality111 said above: "it sounds like the job is related to your research so it won't hurt your scholarship at all"

This is not so simple. You should look into whether people are allowed to publish from the work they perform at the organization and you may also want to follow up to see whether they actually do. If they do not then you might want to ask around as to why.

Leaving academia does hurt many people's chances of getting an academic job later. This does not need to be the case, but it would be naive to go into it thinking that there may not be such repercussions.

Regardless, it sounds like you're really negative about this position, which is a really bad way to start a job so if you can afford not to take it then perhaps you shouldn't.

Exactly. I have a job at a research institute. I've more experience getting grants, writing reports, and even publishing than the vast majority of candidates. And some of these grants are stuff like a team of 2 other people and me getting a multimillion dollar grant for our institute.

The problem? It's the institution's name on everything. As such, there is no objective way for people to check my contributions. I can say on a cover letter that I did all this and got all this, but that is still vastly different from having a grant where you are the PI listed in your CV.

And so even though Ive published more and gotten more grants in the past couple of years, my CV looks thinner, and from a search committee's point of view Im likely no different from people who have gotten non academic jobs in unrelated areas.

Point being: if you can afford to wait, wait. It is very hard to do your own thing working for someone else, no matter how related the job is. And I guarantee that the last thing you'll want to do is work on your own papers after you get home from a 9-to-5 day at the office.