Tenure tracks and dead ends in academia

[Pirx]

Something has prompted me to peruse this forum like a morning/afternoon/evening newspaper after I've joined and now I can't help but scratch my head about a few things. See, I'm a traveller from the distant realm of technical universities (which are completely different beasts from non-technical and host solely, with maybe 1-2 exceptions, engineering programs) and thus haven't had the chance to speak to anyone coming from Pure Sciences about the academia vs. industry dichotomy. Additionally, in the major I study, very few people worry about job insecurity and rarely want to have anything to do in academia once they get their diploma. Some problems have simply slipped my mind.

The excellent series of posts So you want to be a Physicist, and especially the last few out of the 22 topics, made me wonder what exactly happens when a physics PhD after doing post-docs still fails to secure position as a professor / national lab worker / other dream-job. I'm aware that you can enter industry even without a picture-perfect industry CV with enough luck and suavity; but what about those who would try to stay in academia regardless? Is there a class of some sort of "academic limbo" positions for physicists who won't become professors but also refuse to leave academia?

 

[CrysPhys]

Career options will be highly dependent on the country you plan to work in. From the language in your posts, it's apparent you're not in the US, and your profile doesn't list a country. If you want feedback that will be of value to you, you will need to identify what country you're in or what countries you plan to work in.

 

[Pirx]

You're right, I'm not from the US. I ask this question out of sheer curiosity, to be honest, which is why I didn't specify a country. I'm from Central-Eastern Europe but I don't mind hearing answers pertinent to other regions or even continents.