Postdoc Progress | Natural chemistry

Decisions, decisions. There’s a lot to think about when transitioning from a postdoc position, and Shira Joudan walks us through the considerations that led to her eventual tenure in a new city.

I hadn’t really decided what exactly I wanted to do or where I wanted to be, and I was weighing the relative importance of location and type of career. When I first moved to Toronto I thought it would be a stepping stone to whatever (probably Canadian) city life took me to next, but now the thought of staying in Toronto was becoming more and more appealing. I completed my PhD at the University of Toronto and my postdoctoral position is at York University (also in Toronto); I had settled my life and could imagine a future there. Similarly, I was also hesitant about what role I wanted. During my PhD, my career goal was to lead a research group, and I intended to do that best in academia, but chemistry jobs (specifically, for me, analytical and environmental chemistry jobs) exist in the Greater Toronto Area and I found myself applying for a job at a local mass spectrometry company. At the same time, I was also applying for an environmental analytical chemistry position across the country at the University of Alberta (UofA) and heard about an exciting government scientist soon to be appointed position that was right up my alley. I was at a weird, indecisive point in my life, but I was reminded that applying for something is just the first step in a long process, and no decisions need to be made at this point. I had convinced myself that I would get a job at the mass spectrometry company, but I didn’t get the offer. Obviously, it wasn’t the first time I didn’t get a position I applied for, but I took it as a sign that this job might not be the right fit.