15 Jun PhD Careers: Publish AND Pivot!
Many PhDs wonder what career options they have in and beyond academia. As the academic job search season is winding down, questions come pouring through my inbox.
To help PhDs and their advisors and career coaches, here is a repost from my keynote address during the 2014 PhD Career Day Conference at my alma mater, the University of Rochester. Organized by the Graduate Student Association (GSA) and the Dean of Graduate Students, Dr. Wendi Heinzelman, the conference aimed at (1) exposing PhD candidates to career options in and beyond academia, and (2) bringing PhD alumni back to campus for two panels about PhD careers beyond academia.
A twist on the traditional “Publish or Perish” motto, my keynote address offered examples and best practices to help PhDs realize that, in many ways, earning a PhD is similar to growing a lean startup. All PhDs start with an idea, build experiments, measure the impact of different factors on a complex problem, and learn how to make significant and innovative contributions to human knowledge. All PhDs can choose to “Publish and Pivot,” or use their PhD training to add value to employers in any sector. The note I received this morning from an attendee emphasizes how important educating PhDs about their career options remains:
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“Though I am currently still interested in the academic life, I’ve become increasingly unsure whether the current academic climate would actually suit me, and increasingly aware of just how unlikely it is that I will get a tenure-track job. Your talk, however, was the first time that I felt as though I have tangible non-academic possibilities outside of Starbucks after graduation. I really appreciate all of the concrete career development advice you gave, and the perspective that our futures as PhD students are not entirely grim. I found your lecture extremely inspiring and helpful.”
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Some key insights on PhD career transitions that were shared throughout the conference also included:
The illusion of knowledge is worse than ignorance. Many PhD candidates believe that their only job options are postdocs, tenure track jobs or adjunct positions. This narrow view prevents many bright talent from learning about jobs that would make them both productive and happy. The UofR graduate school is making a smart move by starting the conversation through a PhD Career Conference. By helping their current and alumni PhDs connect, the university is building a future cohort of grateful alumni (and potential donors) that are sure to enhance its brand and, hopefully, improve its future bottom line.
Don’t anticipate that hiring managers will figure it out for you. Burt Nadler, Director of the Green Career Center, made excellent points on employment trends. Thirty years ago, there were lots of jobs and few PhDs. When that was the case, hiring managers who wanted to hire PhDs were more than willing to help PhDs figure out where they wanted to work within their organization. Today, there are more PhDs than jobs. As a result, hiring managers no longer have to help PhD figure out where they fit. PhDs have to clearly articulate their goals so that their career center staff can connect them with hiring managers that will recognize the value their can bring to their organizations.
You can be a researcher without working at a university. Several alumni talked about conducting research without being employed at universities. For example, Dr. Grace Scarborough has been conducting research on political ecosystem for 30 years (three of which were in an academic institution). Dr. Yong Zhang heavily relies on his Material Science PhD to develop and commercialize new materials at Sigma-Alrdich. There are many organizations beyond academic institutions where research is conducted, including think tanks, private labs, as well as innovation centers and R&D departments at a variety of companies. Use LinkedIn and employer directories to identify organizations that houses research groups you can add value to.
Communication agility is the linchpin to success. Different employers describe different skills and experiences using different industry-specific terms. Learning how to talk about your PhD skills using the language of your target employers will make your search considerably easier and faster. Dr. Yong Zhang was right on target when he cited Bill Carroll, former American Chemical Society (ACS): “Chasing degrees is a waste; chase knowledge and experience. And remember job-wise, a degree is an enablement, not an entitlement.” Mentioning your PhD will often be much less productive than talking about the skills and experiences you gained from your PhD that will help you solve problems for your future employer.
The only constant is change. While visiting my home department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences a decade after graduation, I was reminded of the high faculty mobility in multidisciplinary fields. No one from my dissertation committee nor my qualifying exam committee were at the department during my visit. Daphne Bavelier, my dissertation advisor, moved to the University of Geneva. Ted Supalla moved to Georgetown University, as did Elissa Newport. Mary Hayhoe moved to UT Austin. Dick Aslin and Jeff Runner are still at UofR but are both on sabbatical this spring.
Overall, the conference confirmed that no matter what their dissertation focuses on, all PhDs develop transferrable skills that are applicable to a wide range of careers in the private, nonprofit and government sectors. However, to secure a nonacademic job, PhDs need to be able to pivot and articulate, in the language of their industry of interest, how their PhD skills and experiences will add value to their future employer.