Pssst! Early career researchers!! It’s okay to prioritize location, family, community, mental health, etc. over the “best” positions you are offered. A thread: 1/6

When I was applying to PhD programs (15 yrs ago ), I declined an offer to work with a well-known PI at a top tier institution in favor of a new PI at a less prestigious institution. The fancy PI called to ask why I declined. 2/6

I was honest & said one of the main reasons was location- I didn’t want to commit to living somewhere I didn’t want to for ~6 years. They told me that was a bad reason and I was making a terrible mistake. I was 22. That doubt followed me for a long time. 3/6

These past few weeks I’ve had conversations with a few (brilliant, worried, exhausted) postdocs that have made me think more about why ECRs are mentored to prioritize the “best” position (grad program, postdoc, faculty) over all other factors. 4/6

My guess is it’s a holdover from when academia was mostly affluent white men who could afford (financially, emotionally) to repeatedly uproot their life for the next best position. Why would we mentor as if this still works for everyone? Who is being excluded?? 5/6

I know the job market is extra awful right now. I worry this will only perpetuate the toxic scarcity mindset of academia. If you are being mentored to accept the “best” offer no matter what, I’d suggest seeking additional perspectives. My DMs are always open to ECRs 6/6

Postscript: see also this excellent thread from @serdundon that inspired me to finally post this after letting it sit in my drafts for a while... https://twitter.com/serdundon/status/1298431613253156864

This has resonated with a lot of folks, so I want to add a quick note re: a common comment: I didn't mean to suggest that most ECRs are somehow swimming in job offers. I should have said it's ok to prioritize other things over pursuing the "best" academic positions. :)