Emma Vitkainen, 2025-09-24

Career path

• Started with PhD and post-doc
• doesn't recommend a second post doc
• Difficult to find positions after the second post doc
• Don't recommend interdisciplinary studies as you won't be specialized

Working in private sector

• Relex Solutions as a data analyst (senior analytics consultant)
• Monthly salary, working hours, lovely working culture
• Not stressed all the time like she was in academia
• Background in ecology and biological systems goes well, since many engineers are not used to dealing with complex systems that don't completely make sense

Differences

• not as competitive
• Someone else owes you contribution
• You don't really own your work and it's not as exciting
• Having your name on everything also makes you take everything very personally
  • People are so irrational in academia since the stakes are so small