To be tenure-track or not to be tenure-track

Yet another issue to deal with in these late stages of my graduate career is where do I go next, and what's the best route to get there?

My goal is to become an academic, so therefore, at some point, I will obviously need to submit applications for tenure-track positions. However, I also plan to do a post-doc, to build up skills and learn about some new problems (whether or not they're actually in polymer science, my current field).

Now, this means that I have two options. One is to start the application process this year, try to land a position, and then do a post-doc. The other is to wait until I do my post-doc, then start hunting on the job market. While I'd be a stronger candidate during the post-doc, I agree with a friend of mine who suggested that having a tenure-track position lined up before the post-doc would put much less pressure on my post-doc experience.

So, I think what I want to try is to do a limited tenure-track job search--look at a few positions that are "dream jobs," and hope for the best. If it works, then I have a (more) stress-free post-doc, and if not, then at least I'll have most of the documents and materials ready for revision and submission.