Addressing my google searches

Blogger collects stats regarding your traffic and referring websites, and I should mention that I saw a spike recently thanks to the link to my post Do You Use the Title? from Mike the Mad Biologist over at scienceblogs.com.  Many thanks, mad one!  This post also got some recognition thanks to The PostDocs Forum twitter feed.  It was very interesting to see everyone's responses.

People also get here through all sorts of google searches.  A good number of them are searches for this blog's exact name, "american postdoc in canada."  I chose that obvious name so that it would get people to some kind of relevant information fast without having to wade through goodness-knows-what on google.  I also get a lot of searches regarding the car, such as"bringing usa car into ontario canada" and "importing car to canada from us temporary job."  For car importing posts, I will point you here and here; read in order.  For people googling "different words in the us and canada" and "funny canadian words," I will direct you to my posts on Funny U.S. vs. Canadian words, parts 1 and 2.

But there are some more interesting searches that I feel should be addressed, and they come in the form of questions or statements that I haven't directly responded to here, but are definitely relevant.  Here are a few google search snippets:

"How much do postdocs in Canada make?"

I'm not sure if this googler was searching out of morbid curiosity or if he/she was trying to compare postdoc salaries in Canada vs. elsewhere.  In my experience, Canadian postdoc salaries in academia are comparable to U.S. postdoc salaries, at around $30k-$50k per annum.  Just like in the U.S., it varies widely by where you go, your previous experience, etc.   Industrial and government postdocs, while fewer and further between, will likely have higher salaries.

"How come you have to pay to use the shopping cart in Canada?"

Because they don't want them stolen, dear googler!  Shopping carts are expensive, and many people walk to get their groceries.  Imagine how nice it would be if you could just cart them home instead of having to lug them.  A quarter or a loonie investment, however, should deter such behavior.  The shopping cart locks are shown below.

Source: Polycart on flickr

"I am tired of PhD in chemistry."

As I said on facebook, join the club.  Everyone gets tired of his or her Ph.D. at some point.  If you aren't or haven't been by the end, you didn't put enough into it.

[Reasons] "Why a PhD is a waste of time."

For some people, a Ph.D. is indeed a waste of time.  I have thought about this subject a lot, and my current thoughts are that if you don't need a Ph.D. for your job, or if won't get you a significantly higher salary/degree of autonomy, you're better off not getting one.  I credit my own Ph.D. work with helping me learn how to attack problems and solve them in a systematic way.  I use these skills in every day as a postdoc, and that's why they pay me the (not) big bucks.  However, if your reasons for doing a Ph.D. are "I want to put off getting a job," "oh, it sounds like fun, maybe," or "I hate my boss, and I need to get out of this dead-end job," you should greatly reconsider.  There are other better alternatives than entering the ivory tower for a dedicated 5+ years on a meager salary.

ADDENDUM!  A new funny google search!

"Is it true that Canadians only eat Kraft Dinner?"

Yes.  They occasionally spice it up with peameal bacon.  That is all they eat.  Ever.