Some tips on choosing your next step after your degree
Academia can feel like the natural next step after your degree. It’s familiar, intellectually stimulating, and it’s what you’ve been trained for, right?
But before you commit to a PhD, another postdoc, or start chasing the elusive tenure-track dream, here’s something worth considering:
Staying in academia just because it’s convenient is not a good reason to stay.
If you’re considering a long-term academic career, ask yourself honestly if you’re prepared for these realities:
1. It’s often more about grit than genius
Academia rewards persistence, not just brilliance. Long hours, weekend work, and chasing funding often matter more than how smart you are. If you don’t want your life to revolve around work, you might feel out of sync with the culture.
2. Publishing takes priority
When it comes to securing a professorship, your success depends more on where and how often you publish than on the long-term impact of your research. If your drive comes from solving practical problems or seeing real-world results, this might wear you down over time.
3. The path can be uncertain and geographically challenging
Although this depends on where you live, academic positions are generally scarce and competitive. You might need to take a junior position at a small university in a town you’ve never heard of before you can move somewhere you actually want to live. And even if you land a professorship, only ~20% of your time might be spent on research—the rest is often spent writing grants, teaching, and handling admin work
This should not discourage you if you are certain an academic career is for you, since there are tenure tracks available even right now. However, a professorship is not quite the dream we imagined when we started studying. This realization is important—although inconvenient.
Assuming an academic path is not for you, what then?
Entering a New World
What if not academia? That’s a question many students fear asking—especially if family or mentors expect an academic career. But stepping outside academia isn’t a failure. It’s a strategic shift toward a path that fits who you are.
Here’s the problem, though:
- You don’t really know what you’ll enjoy.
- You can’t afford to intern in five different industries.
- And you’re not “good” at something until you’ve invested passion and energy into it.
So what can you do?
At first, get used to uncertainty. For no one is this step easy or straightforward. However, if you lean into it, you can learn to enjoy the journey—because there is a whole new world awaiting you!
A Step-by-Step Practical Tip to Find Your Dream Position
Here’s a realistic process you can follow to explore alternatives, even while you’re still finishing your thesis:
🔍 Step 1: Book a 2-hour ChatGPT consultation
Yes, really. Talk to ChatGPT like it’s your personal career coach. Ask it about careers, express your fears and goals, and let it help you brainstorm options. You’ll be surprised what ideas come out when you just talk things out.
📝 Step 2: Make a short list of roles that interest you
Use ChatGPT or career sites to explore roles like:
- Medical science liaison
- Product manager
- Data analyst
- UX researcher
- Grant strategist
- Science communicator
(There are more options than you think.)
🎥 Step 3: Watch “Day in the Life” videos
Look for YouTube or TikTok videos where people share what their job really looks like. Pay attention not just to the perks—but also to what annoys them. Can you live with those downsides?
🧭 Step 4: Reflect—Figure Out How You Like to Work
Instead of obsessing over job titles or fields, ask yourself:
What kind of work style fulfills you?
- Do you enjoy competition, or do you prefer collaborative, low-pressure environments?
- Do you crave structure and certainty, or do you love navigating ambiguity?
- Do you feel frustrated when you’re not around people, or do you prefer to work alone with deep focus?
Be brutally honest—even if your answers feel embarrassing. For example:
“I’m competitive. Success makes me happy. If I’m on a team where others drag me down, I’d rather fail alone than succeed by chance with them.”
Knowing these truths about yourself is not a weakness. It’s your compass.
🎯 Step 5: Prepare Like You Already Have the Job
The goal isn’t to build a perfect CV right away—it’s to test if you enjoy the field and to build confidence. Here’s how:
- Interested in marketing or science communication?
Write mock blog posts or design social media graphics. Join online communities.
- Interested in R&D or innovation?
Write a pretend review paper on a tech trend. Learn about tech transfer or scale-up processes.
- Interested in finance or consulting?
Start analyzing market deals, listen to business podcasts, or read McKinsey articles.
- Interested in data and analysis?
Download free datasets and try building simple dashboards or running basic models.
You don’t need anything to be outstanding enough to put in your CV. However, if you can make an impression during an idea or when starting a new position, you will have a head-start.
Also, it will help you to say: “Yes, I truly could see myself doing this.”
And then, you simply apply. Whether for a position, an internship, or just “shadowing.”
Speaking of which, here are two cool ideas if a position or internship isn’t available:
Shadowing
You basically ask whether you can just follow someone around to observe. This is less formal than an internship and can be limited to a few days. That lowers the barrier for many companies. Even a personal outreach on LinkedIn could be enough to convince someone to let you shadow them.
However, consider that many companies have proprietary processes or information, which might make even shadowing difficult. If that’s the case, mention you’re willing to sign an NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement), but don’t be disappointed if it doesn’t work out.
Trainee Programs
These are a mix of education, internship, and employment. Large companies basically offer you the chance to rotate through various departments to learn key skills and see which work environment suits you best.
Usually, you even get a salary—often 30–50% of a full entry-level position. Not only do you explore different roles, but you often also have the option to join the company directly afterward.
A Final Tip: Don’t worry about “Academic Grief”
Leaving academia can feel like an identity crisis. You might go through emotional stages that resemble grief—and that’s okay.
1️. Denial: “I just need one more degree or publication. Then the job will come.”
2️. Anger: “How do they expect people to live on these salaries?!”
3️. Bargaining: “Maybe I can do a postdoc part-time while testing other options…”
4️. Depression: “What am I even good at? Who would hire me?”
5️. Acceptance: “Wait… that job sounds kind of amazing. And I’d have weekends?”
Written by Patrick Penndorf – LinkedIn