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I am soon to submit my PhD thesis and I am currently looking for postdoc positions. I would eventually like to stay in academia and was concerned if my past gap year would harm my chances in getting a position.
After my master's degree, I got an R&D job and worked there for 4 months before quitting it as I did not enjoy it there. My plan was to join my master's lab as a research fellow, and I had an offer for that from my advisor. But, I got a bad disease and I fell ill for 3 months. I was not hospitalized, but had to live with my parents for the period. As I always wanted to pursue PhD, I was searching for a position in the meantime. During the 3 months, I gave GRE (scored poorly, thanks to my illness) and applied to universities and professors. I got a positive response and I was sure of getting a PhD position.
However, it was already February and if I were to join a PhD program, I would have to wait till September. Also, the visa process and other formalities take time. So, I decided to not go further with the research fellow, and take time to complete the visa processing, spend time with parents and travel around.
I had a blast of time. Learned so much during that time. But, I don't have anything concrete to show for that 9-10 months period.
My concern is, how much will that affect my future career?
