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As you are working on your doctoral degree, you need to be thinking whether you’d rather primarily concentrate on a research career or a teaching career.

Obviously, depending which is more attractive to you, you may do things differently during your graduate work and you may or may not apply for postdoctoral positions, or if you do, it may differ where you apply.

For a research career, you will want to concentrate on getting as much research done as possible, with as many publications as possible. You’ll want to find a postdoctoral position that will complement your graduate research and yet allow you to learn a new technique or examine a slightly different angle to the question you’re studying. Of course, you’ll also want to make use of teaching opportunities so that you will be able to say you have some experience. There are very few jobs available to you that wouldn’t involve some teaching.

If you’re more interested in a teaching career, you will want to try your hand at teaching during your graduate work. You may be able to get a teaching assistantship that allows you to teach laboratories, but you should also ask your advisor to allow you to lecture once or twice a semester. This will provide an opportunity to decide whether you really do enjoy teaching and have the inherent skills to be a good teacher. You should consider taking/auditing some education courses to build your teaching skills, as well. For your research, you may want to consider developing a research plan that is not so equipment or technology heavy that setting up a lab in a primarily teaching institution would not be prohibitive. It could also be research that is conducive to having undergraduate students working with you on it.

Above all, be sure to talk to your advisor and mentor during your graduate career as you begin to formulate your career plans beyond graduate school. They are invaluable sources of information and advice. They can give you feedback on your skills and interests.