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The life of a junior scientist—usually as a PhD student or postdoctoral researcher—is rarely easy. The job often involves relocating to another city or even another country, which can be difficult and can disrupt personal relationships. Long working hours, often extending into evenings or weekends, inevitably clash with the scientist’s private life. Crucial experiments or research projects might refuse to yield results for weeks or even months. Moreover, even when results are forthcoming, a competing team might publish similar findings first—a particular problem for junior scientists who rely on quality publications to advance their scientific careers. Notwithstanding these vagaries of private and professional life, the question of what comes next creates the biggest concerns for junior scientists. Although the reasons are manifold, the main problem is a scarcity of positions at the group-leader level and above, which means that few aspiring young scientists will achieve a tenured position. The lack of clear options and the small number of higher academic positions cause much unease when junior scientists think about their career prospects, particularly in the life sciences. The typical training phase—comprising a PhD thesis and one or two postdoctoral positions—is often too short to acquire skills and experience beyond those necessary for research. Postdoctoral contracts generally run for 2 or 3 years, and do not provide enough time to broaden the professional horizon by changing research fields, moving to another country and producing significant results. In addition, the efforts of junior scientists are not sufficiently recognized or appreciated. Despite the fact that most of the research output is produced by junior scientists, they gain comparatively little stability and few career options or other rewards in return.