While most jobs for PhDs these days are outside of academia, some PIs and graduate advisors are still having problems accepting that their PhD students and postdocs may be leaving for nonacademic jobs. At the recent Beyond Academia 2016 conference, Els van der Helm moderated a panel of faculty who discussed how and when to discuss career options with your advisor.
Recently I spoke with Dr. Tchiki Davis who graduated from Berkeley in 2015. She is one of many students I've met recently who are trying to commercialize their graduate research.
Tell me about what are you doing.
Industry recruiters and lab leaders talked to a roomful of grad students and postdocs at the 2016 Joint Mathematical Meetings in Seattle about what it takes to land a nonacademic job. I think their advice applies to all PhDs looking for nonacademic employment, not just mathematicians.
The recruiters spanned the spectrum from industry giants like Microsoft and Boeing, to small software and consulting startups, to government agencies like the NSA. There was surprising consensus about how PhDs should prepare and present themselves.
As an undergraduate applying to graduate school, you may have your heart set on a research and teaching career in academia. That's great. But understand more than half of PhDs today are taking nonacademic jobs - and by the time you get your degree in 5-7 years, that number is bound to increase. Why not apply to the programs that acknowledge the realities of graduate careers and support whatever decision you make?
Finding the Right Organizational Culture: What Postdocs Want - People look for different things in a job: one person might want to change the world, while another just wants a paycheck. Research shows that matching your work personality to the culture of the organization is one of the prime factors in workplace happiness. Because most postdocs haven't had experience in non-academic environments, they may be surprised by the diversity of workplace cultures outside of academia.
Resources for Faculty Advising PhDs Considering Nonacademic Careers - More faculty are accepting and promoting nonacademic career alternatives for their graduate students and postdocs. But for some faculty without extensive industry experience or contacts, it’s difficult to offer advice and counsel to these students. This workshop provides information and tools that Grad Student and Postdoc Offices and Associations can provide to faculty who want to mentor their PhDs to the opportunities available and additional skills required for a successful nonacademic job search.
Helping UC Berkeley Faculty to Prepare Graduate Students and Postdocs for Non-academic Careers
A couple of days ago I posted an analysis of responses to my 'Who Should I Work For?' self-assessment showing that men and women post bacs (grad students and postdocs) differ in the kinds of workplaces
I've started the analysis of the demographic data I've been collecting on my 'Who Should I Work For' self-assessment. See the graph below. Over 12,000 people have taken the assessment and I have demographics on more than 3,000. Here's one of the first striking results: Men and women postbacs (graduate students and postdocs) differ significantly in the kinds of employment they are seeking.
