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PhD seeking a job outside of academia and not sure where to start?
I've got you covered.
Check out my quick start guide to an academic exit:
Academic Exit
2,472 posts
Academic Exit
@academic_exit
I help social science PhDs land industry jobs and minimize rejection along the way #phdcareers
- For my PhD, I worked doggedly for 6 yrs, believing I was doing the "right" thing without pausing to check my heading. I woke up 6 yrs later, distant from landing a faculty position. Don't put yourself on a road to nowhere. Do 6-month check-ins to pause, reflect, & course correct.
- PhDs: your dissertation topic is less relevant to finding a role outisde of academia than your *skills*. Here's a 🧵 on how to translate skills you already have into corpspeak, including bullets which I used to describe my PhD work in my first corporate resume:
- I don't know who needs to hear this, but if you're in academia, there's a decent chance you're in a toxic workplace. There is far too much tolerance for shady behavior within academia. Commenters, back me up here: raise your hand if you've witnessed toxicity in academia.
- PhDs seeking to leave academia: you have a *number* of amazing resources available to you for making this leap here on Twitter. Here are just a few:
- Here are 8 mistakes I made in my academic career / leaving academia that I'll share for other folks to learn from:
- Folks who have made the move from academia to industry: what's 1 piece of advice you'd share with PhD students looking to make a similar leap?
- PhDs working outside of academia: do you make more money in your post-academic role than you did in academia? Inquiring minds (of PhDs still in academe) want to know.
- PhDs: is your advisor actively helping you get a tenure-track job? If not, you're at a disadvantage relative to others in the market. Many PIs actively sponsor their students through the networks that they have built; others don't. (sharing b/c I learned this too late)
- When I moved from my post-doc to my first industry role, my base salary went up by more than 300%. Do you love your academic topic enough to under-earn that much? Or want to earn enough that you don't have to think about money every week at the grocery store? Your choice.
- PhDs: your dissertation topic is less relevant to finding a role outisde of academia than your *skills*. Here's a 🧵 on how to translate skills you already have into corpspeak using examples from my own PhD work experience:
- PhDs: you have more flexibility in roles available to you outside of academia than you may realize. Here's a thread listing role titles of PhDs whom I have worked with this year:
- 10 things that shocked me when I moved from academia into my first industry role: (a 🧵)
- PhDs: your dissertation topic is less relevant to finding a role outisde of academia than your *skills*. Here's a 🧵 on how to translate skills you already have into corpspeak using examples from my own PhD work experience:
