For many of us, the postdoc period coincides with the stage of life when we are becoming real grown-ups. We may be paying mortgages and balancing the demands of partners and new families. At the same time, we are working to build our careers and establish academic independence, pouring an enormous amount of dedication and hard work into publications, grant proposals, scientific presentations, and teaching duties. Coupled with this is the uncertainty of not knowing how long our jobs will last, because the majority of us are employed on “soft money” as we await the fulfillment of the remote dream of a permanent faculty job.

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