Three years ago, I started as a postdoc at @EPrinceton. Yesterday, I left New Jersey to start my new position in @CUEngineering at @CUBoulder. There are several important lessons I learned as a postdoc about academia. #AcademicChatter

There is no magic formula, i.e., X papers, Y grants, Z awards, for being successful as a postdoc. Stop looking or pursuing any such formula. #AcademicTwitter

Do not compare yourself with others; it is not going to help you.

Do not consider yourself beneath faculty members. You are as essential to them as they are to you.

Share your work and discuss science with colleagues who are not from your field. This will help broaden your perspective; an important distinction between a PhD and a postdoc is the breadth of your perspective.

The uncertainty of being a postdoc can be unsettling. It is okay to feel that way. People who seem to have figured out everything feel the same way too.

Identify your core support group: family, friends, colleagues and mentors. As a postdoc, you do not have classmates and thus this support group is even more important.

When in doubt about your future career, take a deep breath and remember all the cool science you have been doing.

Love thy science. It is what matters the most.

Remember that science is about patience, persistence and perseverance. So is your postdoc.