PhD Careers: What to Do After a PhD?

Deciding what to do after your PhD can be daunting. Whether you're contemplating a career in academia or considering opportunities outside it, you have numerous paths to explore. Completing a PhD is a significant personal and professional achievement, but it's often just the beginning of your journey. The world brims with opportunities for those ready to take the next step, and understanding these paths can help alleviate the uncertainty and stress that many new PhDs face.

In this comprehensive guide, we'll look into varied career avenues, including academic roles and alternative options in various industries. By the end of this article, you should have a clearer understanding of your prospects and be better prepared to make informed decisions about your future.

To help you make the best decision, we also have guides on PhD employability and earnings, and how you can decide if PhD study is worth it.

Academics primarily work in universities but can also be found in government-funded research institutes and cultural heritage sites. The core objective is to produce original research while often engaging in teaching and administrative duties.

As an academic, you’ll be expected to publish your research findings, supervise students, and contribute to your academic community through various service roles.

How much do academics earn?

According to official data produced by HESA, in 2021-22 most full-time academics employed by a university in the UK were salaried between £47,419 to £63,668. The second largest salary range, with just over 33% of academics falling into, was £35,326 to £47,419.

Pathways to academia

Postdocs and fellowships

Postdocs are excellent for building research and teaching experience. Fellowships, on the other hand, are more competitive and prestigious, allowing you to undertake your own research project—sometimes leading to a permanent role. Fellowships can be a crucial stepping stone to further academic opportunities, offering funding and resources to focus intensely on your research.

Though not mandatory, completing a postdoc or fellowship significantly boosts your employability in academia. These temporary roles help you gain the experience needed to secure permanent positions and build a network within the academic community. Networking is vital, as academic positions are often filled through a combination of formal applications and personal connections.

A postdoc is a temporary funded research position at a university or in industry. Postdocs work under the supervision of a research group or established academic and are considered an employee, unlike PhD students. Some roles will include teaching responsibilities and assistant supervisory roles to students. Responsibilities will also include grant writing, funding applications and administrative duties.

Sometimes postdocs can be referred to as Postdoctoral Research Assistants or Postdoctoral Research Fellows. A postdoc, however, is not the same as a fellowship.

• A PhD in the Arts and Humanities demonstrates excellent written communication, presentation skills, creativity and analytical thinking. You may be suited to work for jobs in the Publishing industry, Digital Marketing or Civil Service.
• A PhD in Biological and Medical Sciences builds specialist subject knowledge, data proficiency and collaborative skills. This will compliment work in industries such as Pharmaceuticals, Genomics or Clinical Care.
• A PhD in Business and Finance will help build organisational and data experience that could benefit careers in Accountancy, Data Science or Consultancy.
• A PhD in Chemical Sciences will provide you with laboratory skills and an advanced understanding of chemistry needed to benefit jobs in Chemical Engineering, Industrial Chemistry and Food Technology.
• A PhD in Earth Sciences could set graduates up for careers in Construction, Environmental Protection or Mineral Surveying, utilising analytical skills and strong subject knowledge.
• PhDs in Engineering have a strong emphasis on project management and practical construction. This could aid jobs in Management Consultancy and Finance as well as more practical fields such as Aeronautics.
• The specialist knowledge gained from a PhD in Law can enable students to comfortably enter industries such as Investment. Additionally, soft skills gained in communication will help in careers such as Teaching or Public Engagement.
• A PhD in Maths and Computing could benefit jobs in Finance, Investment or Web Development, complimenting skills in logic, problem solving and data.
• A PhD in the Physical Sciences demonstrates experience with software and data. This could set graduates up to work in Software Engineering, Data Science or even Sound Engineering.
• A PhD in Social Science and Health requires a deep understanding of human society on a macro or micro level. Graduates may find themselves working in Epidemiology, Public Health or Social Work.

You may be inclined to apply for jobs relating to the subject of your research or previous studies. But a PhD is a versatile enough qualification that you can often look outside your discipline area.

You should invest some time during your PhD for personal and professional development (this is true if you want to stay in academia too!).

Even if you attend none of the formal training courses offered by your department, your PhD itself will provide you with many skills. When leaving academia, you'll need to translate your skills so they make sense to the industry and commercial employers. Think outside the box and take stock of what you are good at or have experience in.

Some translation examples include:

• The dissertation shows you're capable of presenting and organising large amounts of information.
• Having published papers shows you can communicate information across a range of formats.
• If you did interviews for your PhD project, you might graduate with skills in questionnaire design, sensitivity and data analysis.

There’s always a way to link your academic experience to the commercial world. Be prepared to do this in any upcoming job interviews.

It’s also a good idea to move away from the long, multiple page academic CV that you might be used to. Employers won’t read them. They also won’t be interested in scanning a lengthy list of articles. Instead, you should mention that you’ve had several publications without detailing every instance.