Carlijn remembers well the moment she heard that she had been recruited for the postdoc position in Educational Sciences. “It was the day before my son was born,” she reflects. “The job interview took place during my maternity leave. As a new mother, it gave me great peace of mind to know that I could stay at Radboud University. I was having a great time here; the combination of research and teaching really appealed to me.”
But Carlijn was also aware that she could not simply assume that she would be able to stay on after completing her PhD research. “Research jobs weren’t up for grabs,” she explains. “I was already looking around outside the University. What helped was that in addition to my temporary position as a PhD candidate at the Department of Education and Pedagogy, I also had a teaching job in Educational Sciences at Radboud University. I would sometimes tell my colleagues how much I liked it here and that I wanted to stay. Eventually, it was one of those colleagues who tipped me off that a postdoc vacancy was coming up at the Educational Sciences department, so I decided to apply.”
Scientific escape room
With this opportunity to stay longer at Radboud University, Carlijn's wish came true. “For me, it was an opportunity to hold on to that combination of research and teaching,” she explains. “Because my contract as a lecturer was also renewed. I now have two jobs within the University: as a lecturer and as a postdoc.”
For Carlijn, that is the most appealing combination. “As a lecturer, I love working with students: seeing things click for them and discussing what they’re learning. And as a researcher, I now work in a team and make new discoveries all the time. Research is like one of those puzzles where all the pieces fit together, a kind of scientific escape room.”
Incidentally, the content of her research as a postdoc is different to that in her previous research as a PhD candidate. While her PhD research focused on the development of visually impaired children, as a postdoc she works on computational thinking: teaching primary school children to think like a computer programmer, a skill that is reflected in programming, for example. “The aim is to develop a lesson series to help primary schools teach pupils these thinking skills.” Research as a postdoc also differs from research as a PhD candidate in other ways. “As a postdoc, I’m not working towards a PhD thesis any more. Plus, I used to conduct research more on my own, whereas now I work as part of a team.”
Flexibility
Asked about what appeals to her so much at Radboud University, Carlijn first mentions the collaboration with colleagues. “There’s a great atmosphere; everyone is so helpful,” she says. “Then of course there’s the tranquillity of the green campus. But also the possibility to organise my working hours flexibly: for instance, I love to go running in my break, or take care of my little son. I then catch up on my work another time.”
A disadvantage of working as a postdoc is the temporary contract, which brings uncertainty. Carlijn: “I could perhaps have found more security in a job outside the university. But because our University offers me so much job satisfaction and flexibility, I dare to let go of that kind of certainty for now.” Because of her positive experiences, Carlijn can heartily recommend an internal career move to anyone. “It’s always good to try something new. If you feel you’re ready for a new step, take it as a sign, and act on it. And should your new job turn out to be disappointing, there’s always the option to look further afield. My advice? When in doubt, just go for it.”
Is your current job still right for you? Get to work on your career profile and check out this information on what an internal transfer entails.