a former colleague of leigh’s was just bragging about her $50k/year postdoc at megacompany. meanwhile, leigh is looking at some NIH-funded postdoc positions, which pay in the $37k/year range according to the NIH pay scale.
wow, leigh is totally getting screwed. look at all the money she could be raking in, if she only went to work for megacompany.
right?
wrong. my colleague was not taking into consideration that cost of living in her destination city is 120% higher than my potential destination city. colleague’s salary would have to be about $81k to match, when factoring in cost of living.
so, shut up, former colleague. kthx.
[really, i just don't get how such educated people manage to be so stupid about money. you'd think... ah, nevermind.]
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July 7, 2009 at 12:35 pm
Nat
Also, NIH scale increases the second year after terminal degree. IIRC something around 40K, then a bigger boost the next year. Then it starts leveling off for the old people like me.
Besides, what the hell are you bragging about money for if you are doing a damn Ph.D. and postdoc. Many of my friends I graduated college with 13 years ago made better money their first job out of school, and that’s not even factoring in inflation. Basically, if you’re judging yourself (and others) by money, you picked the wrong path in life, and you’re an idiot.
July 7, 2009 at 12:43 pm
ambivalent academic
What are these NIH funded post-doc positions that make $37K?? Is that including benefits, or are benefits paid out separately?
I was just looking at F32 fellowships and the scale starts at $30K for year-zero post-docs. This seems like only a token increase over my student stipend. Grrr.
July 7, 2009 at 1:05 pm
ambivalent academic
Nevermind – I found it – it is $37K for year zero starting in 2009. Stupid link sent me to the scale for fiscal year 2000 first. Is it just me or does the NIH funding website have the most illogical and difficult-to-navigate user interface EVER!?!?
July 7, 2009 at 2:08 pm
becca
Uhm, I think I am missing something, but I do not understand your math (37,000*120% = 44,400).
I checked with the salary.com cost-of living calculator and even if I compare Champaign Illinois (lowest cost-of-living I could think of off the top of my head) with San Francisco California (one of the highest costs of living in the US, and a place with plenty of biotech companies), 37,000 in the former still works out to 47,000 in the later (i.e. 50,000 in SF > 37,000 in Champaign).
Not that it necessarily matters in the slightest. Following the money is certainly not a *more* valid life strategy than following what you think is the most interesting science (or whatever other criteria you have for selecting your postdoc- actually, I was wondering what you are looking for?).
July 7, 2009 at 3:00 pm
leigh
wow, this one generated some commentary.
Nat: i agree with you on the money thing. my colleagues generally come from well-to-do families and money is a fairly big factor to them. as long as i’ve got enough to live comfortably and simply, i couldn’t really care much less about making more than that.
btw, wordpress didn’t let me move your other comments over to this post, so i deleted them.
AA: i KNOW, that website SUCKS to navigate, right? now you can be a little more optimistic about your future income, though.
becca: i forget which website i calculated with, but in those terms, “120% greater than” means 100% + 120%. (i know, screwy.) yes, i am considering a postdoc in a small city with a very low cost of living. but the university is R1 with a very strong faculty in my sub-discipline.
re: my postdoc selection criteria, to be honest i’m mostly interested in pursuing doing some cool shit with good people. of course, my definition of cool shit is entirely subjective, as is my definition of good people.
also, it needs to be in a setting where i can be independent, have creative license to do whatever the fuck it is i want to pursue within the field, and develop some more totally asskicking skills under the guidance of a mentor who is interested in helping me become a leaner and meaner scientist rather than treating me like a tech.
that seems like a lot, but based on my interactions with the PI to date, i am feeling very good about this one.
i’m not sure whether i am going to end up in industry or academia. so i am looking for experience that wouldn’t pigeonhole me into one or the other. i prefer a smallish group (like the one i am in now), and i prefer a PI who has a solid record of good achievement and grad students/postdocs who have moved on to success in whatever arena they choose, over a PI that is famous. (not to say those are mutually exclusive, not by a long shot.)
finally, i have a certain region of the country in mind. i need to get the hell out of this place.