The individuals who aspire to be doctorates in their favorite area of study and aims at becoming the subject matter expert can be quite dexterous for a career in research. Among them, there are few who resort to the option for working as a research assistant professor to enhance themselves as subject matter expert. This option holds great future prospects for the individual.
The other option of the doctorate holders is to go for fellowship and become post-doctoral fellows. Even these post docs can also work as assistant professors later in their career. However, the one thing that will be different from the former ones is that they will not have any earlier teaching experience.
The one thing that is imperative to the either job role is to find the right institution that will be aligned to your subject area proffering you with the opportunities and training that helps in designing a distinct portfolio.
Responsibilities of an Assistant Professor
The backdrop of a University is the best when you are aiming to assist as a professor. You will carve your own niche with this right setting. You will gain the expertise and specialized skills, for instance, an advanced learning of data analysis. In some areas, teaching gains an upper hand over the groundwork and analysis. However, there are few cases where research weighs more. In every situation, there must exist a synergy between teaching and research where the creative thinking and analysis into one incites the other. If you are wearing the shoes of the professor then you have to carry on with your self-study conducting an authentic research supported by grants from the concerned authorities followed by producing and publishing the results. Your workload will change according to the time of the session, the strength of your classroom and the lesson planner. Mentoring and training other research candidates also lies within the purview of your chores.
Benefits and Drawbacks of a Research Assistant Professor
These professionals in an ideal scenario would have the chance to enter
- sturdy scholastic collaborations
- progressive and research-oriented training
- adept teaching skills
- making optimal utilization of tenure track
The drawbacks in such a position are as follows:
- bolstering your portfolio of research work will be difficult if your department is not popular for research work
- if your institute does not encourage much of a research then it will be difficult to pull it through
- you might not get the opportunity of publishing your work on your tenure track
- Excess pressure might be placed on this job role that will not leave enough time for your research.
Responsibilities of a Postdoc
The academicians nurturing their career as postdocs have to collaborate with the right universities for a minimum of three years. The role of a post doctorate fellow is suitable for those who aim to build a strong research career through high-tech and proper training in an academic backdrop. In the initial one or two years, you are not liable to teach. They have to work under the supervision observing their faculty guide while preparing their research proposals and carry on with their research. This alliance is stabilized by a convincing amount of self-sufficiency. Towards the end of your postdoc tenure, you will have the golden chance of promulgating several articles and thesis reviewed by your fellow academicians.
Benefits and Drawbacks of a Post-doctorate
The pros involved with this academic position are many. They include the following:
- Acquire rich expertise and experience in research
- Boost your networking skills through collaborative studies
- Provides you the chances of attending numerous seminars and conferences
- Helps you to publish your work with the help of fellow scholars.
- Grants take care of your accommodation and tuition funds.
On the flipside,
- This academic post does not pay much
- Employment is short-term
- The job role is also ambiguous especially in an educational institute that comprises of administrators, faculty and students
Considering the future prospects, you have to take the accountability of your whole career keeping your focus intact. The probability of getting lost in the job market is high in this field. So you need to have few engagements pre-planned post completion of your fellowship.
Taking into account the demand for the research assistant professors job in Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi or any other metro cities the job is more specialized than that of the post-doc in an academic sphere. It is you who need to decide where your strength lies and which way you should head to have the sense of career fulfillment.
About the Author: Agniva Banerjee is a writer by profession. She likes curating informative articles and blogs on diverse areas that provides a good read. She loves engaging the readers through her words and welcomes feedback of all sorts.
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