Mental wicket
So something I have been mildly grappling with (only mildly since it is decently in the distance) is this: Is it better to get a prestigious fellowship after gradschool (this sets you up to get placement with *insert govt agency here*) or to get a job with the agency straight away?
Fellowship pros:
You get that byline on the old resume' "XXX Fellow" (and it opens doors...)
Fellowship cons:
Procrastinate PhD program entry (although the fellowship could help me get into a program...
Agency placement pros:
Well, work. Money. Experience.
Agency cons:
Might not be the exact fit or desire to work there...
These are my mental battles that deal only with me right now.
A taste of what else I think about other than DCS and Thesis.
Fellowship application deadline in March, going to put in for it, no matter what I decide about the mental wicket. Keep the option open, you know? But still the mental gymnastics...
copyright Kc @ 7:09 PM
1 Comments:
You might as well go for it KC and see what happens. It could lead to a mentor who can help out on a PH.D. topic or research program. This is not exactly procrastinatation, and it should be an exciting opportunity. Going into a Govt. dept. with just an MS used to lead to some fine lengthy careers in the old days, but this is highly contingent on the political winds presently. Now plenty of the upper and middle range jobs in Govt. science require PhD's or some equivalent experience. So I say you've got a few years to see what a fellowship might bring before tethering yourself to the self imposed 'exile' of a Govt. job. Who knows, with the restoration of some sanity some years hence, working for the government might be somewhat rewarding in your lifetime. This is especially so for some parts of the EPA and NOAA. [See the New book; 'The Republican war on Science' by Chris Mooney. His coverage of the carnage in government sponsored science seen in the Bush administration is here: {http://www.chriscmooney.com/blog.asp}]
Cheers & Good Luck, 'VJ'
Post a Comment
<< Home