The photo shoot for this month?s feature on the postdoc glut was obviously a spoof. At least that?s what we thought. Standing on the median of Broad street with a sign that says ?Have PhD, Will Work For Food,? Kevin Duffy expected to garner a few stares, but not much else.

?Some guy gave me his business card,? he told me. Someone walking on the set of the shoot asked what they were doing. Even though Kevin told them they were working on an art spread for a magazine, the fellow still took the scene at face value. He apparently pitied our down-on-his-luck doctor and told Kevin he knows someone at a research firm in town. Cards were exchanged and the shoot went on.

Kevin doesn?t need the job. True to the sign, he does have his PhD, but Kevin works as a regional scientific manager at Astra Zeneca. A bit wiser for the experience however, he says if he were looking for a new job, hitting the pavement literally doesn?t sound so unappealing. ?It seems like a pretty lucrative marketing opportunity,? he joked. You heard him. Get out there.