The Guardian reports on post-docs throwing in the towel and moving into other lines of work: Karl Gensberg, a post-doctoral researcher who has had short-term contracts at the University of Birmingham, will begin his new career in the summer after completing a plumbing course at Sutton Coldfield College. "I was chatting to the plumber who came to fit my new boiler," he said. "He remarked that, because I had a PhD, I must be earning lots of money. I had my pay slip on me and when I showed it to him, he said, 'I earn twice that'." Dr Gensberg, 41, has had a 13-year academic career and earns £23,000 a year. "I expect when I am qualified as a plumber I will at first be earning pretty much what I am now," he added. "But I won't have to figure out how to find funding nor will I have to face a wall of bureaucracy." His present contract ends in April and Dr Gensberg says the university has emailed him to ask if he would return to the campus to do plumbing work.