In academia, the trajectory can be a rollercoaster. It is true especially if you work in a highly competitive field. You start from a 3-6 year PhD contract which gives you a certain amount of freedom and stability.

But then, you need to go through the turbulent also known as, “Postdoc” phase. It means short contracts, severe competition, intense grant writing, student supervision, promoting your research, et cetera.

This is when for most academics, the quality of professional life drops the most — a stretch where postdoc to industry career transition planning often starts in earnest. (although there are exceptions!) For Elisenda, this rollercoaster stemmed from the nature of the public-private institute she worked for.

This type of employer is partially dependent on external funding from private companies. In this environment, Postdoctoral contracts are typically short. Also, the amount of insecurity is even higher than in case you have a university Postdoc contract.

How Does the Academic Tenure Track Work?

When you enroll on a tenure track, you slowly gravitate towards the happy corner: a stable job with lots of personal freedom — though career strategy for tenure-track alternatives is worth mapping out well before that point. This is a generalization of course. There are branches of science in which the journey towards the happy corner is almost linear.

In those areas, there is enough space for almost anyone who is willing to work on professional development. Additionally, to develop an academic career.

However, in life sciences, severe competition presses on Postdocs to take on lots of projects, and substantially lowers their job satisfaction — one reason career development for early-career scientists deserves as much attention as landing the first position.

According to a peer-reviewed study published in PLOS ONE on U.S. postdoctoral careers in the life sciences, physical sciences, and engineering, postdocs in life sciences tend to have longer, more saturated career paths than in other fields, consistent with the intense competition described here.

The situation also varies between countries. In some countries, PhD candidates receive fellowships rather than employment contracts. In that setting, they do not enjoy the same working benefits and stability as Postdocs.

Public Sector vs Private Companies.

Many PhDs switch careers to the public sector: government-funded institutions and jobs within academia that are beyond the academic career. These jobs include grant writing, teaching, science policy, managing a lab, PhD advisor jobs, or scientific communication.

In the public sector, jobs are generally stable: you might be able to settle in one place for the rest of your professional career. The working benefits are usually attractive. According to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data, public-sector employees had a median job tenure of 5.6 years, compared to just 3.9 years in the private sector.

This kind of job can also be found in the private sector, in essence, in private research institutes, which do not guarantee high stability. However, this often comes at a cost of personal freedom. You typically have a well-defined function, deliverables, superiors to report to, and relatively little space to propose new initiatives.

The private sector is also increasingly welcoming to PhDs, which is why any academic to corporate career transition guide tends to spend so much time on this option. Namely, researchers are often preferred in the Research & Development (R&D) departments at large companies. Corporate jobs can secure more job stability and working benefits while gaining valuable work experience.

According to a career-transition toolkit published by MIT’s Career Advising and Professional Development office, industry employers increasingly value the critical thinking, data modelling, and independent-working skills that PhD holders bring, supporting the trend of R&D departments actively recruiting researchers.

At the same time, promotions to management positions can help to work on professional development and increase your personal freedom. For instance, by giving you opportunities to propose and lead new projects.

PhDs also quickly adapt to the startup culture. In startups, there is more personal freedom by definition. However, at the same time, attaining work stability can take much longer than in corporations.

Freelancing.

Many PhDs also successfully start freelance careers. Freelancing includes working as consultants, coaches, data scientists, or software developers etc. without being employed full-time by a company or organization.

In freelancing, the amount of personal freedom is high — a big part of what draws people toward a PhD to consulting career transition in the first place.

You have no boss and no one else depends on you.

Freelancers can also choose where and when they want to work. You can work with multiple clients at the same time and have the flexibility to chose their projects.  Work stability starts at low levels but increases gradually along with developing your brand, acquiring a base of returning clients.

Furthermore, increasing your income and savings.

But in this case you have to take care of your taxes, insurance as well professional development by yourself.

Entrepreneurship.

Lastly, many PhDs launch startups and become entrepreneurs. Some (but not all) startups stem from academic research, or from problems experienced during an academic career path. According to a study published in PLOS ONE, PhD students trained in university labs that actively encourage entrepreneurship are substantially more likely to pursue startup careers after graduating, without this coming at the expense of their academic research output.

This largely drove Natalia’s motivation to start her own company, and is a good example of how to leave academia with confidence. It happened at a point when she felt drained from a futile job search after her PhD. In addition, found out that others were experiencing the same roadblocks.

In the summer of 2019, she gave a workshop about post-PhD career tracks at the Organization for Human Brain Mapping annual meeting in Rome. The room was packed with people willing to sit on the floor. Or stand outside the room just to listen to the lectures.

Shortly after, Natalia came back to the Netherlands. Moreover, marched straight into the Chamber of Commerce to register her company, Ontology of Value.

The company aims at helping researchers in self-discovery. Also, in finding new avenues in the industry as well as working on their professional development. It offers intensive career workshops.

Additionally, creates new recruitment solutions adapted to hiring highly qualified professionals who value non-material aspects of their jobs.

Entrepreneurship gives little sense of stability at first. Around 50% of startups fail within the first few years. (still much better odds than to become a PI!) A U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy analysis of new employer establishments similarly finds that only about 49% survive to the five-year mark, according to SBA Office of Advocacy data.

At the same time, the amount of personal freedom is high. You can define your projects, develop these projects from scratch, and decide whom you work with. While the startup develops and matures, your level of stability gradually increases too.

This happens at the cost of personal freedom, as together with the growth of the startup, the number of stakeholders. Furthermore, corporate procedures within the company will increase.

The Landscape of Careers After PhD: Summary.

In sum, careers after PhD differ in terms of the qualities they provide. Take into account that this is just a simple 2D-representation of the job landscape. In reality, jobs have many more aspects to them. Within the most important ones, there are the core competencies that make you unique on the job market.

Our advice is to think big. Take a helicopter view of the job market. And make steps towards a career that will give you a lifestyle compatible with your personality. If you do what you love, the way you love, it gives you the best chance of developing a fulfilling professional career.

You can also have a look at our articles on related topics: “We Are the Champions. Leaving Academia After PhD Feelin’ Good” and “Pivot After PhD: Why, When, and How? Career Development Strategies for Career Change After PhD“

Do You Need More Information About The Post-PhD Career Tracks?

You can find more information about the working culture in these different environments, and how to join them as a PhD, in Natalia’s book entitled “What Is out There for Me? The Landscape of Post-PhD Career Tracks.“

On the other hand the Natalia’s recent book “How to Navigate in the Job Market and Shine in the Job Interviews” will help you to navigate the job market efficiently and successfully. 

We also developed a special, intensive career transition program tailor-made for PhD students and graduates who seek to start new careers in industry; please find all the information and registration links HERE.