Alternative careers for postdocs and PhD students: overcoming academia as the default choice

For a long time, academia has been the default career choice for postdocs and PhD students, but it seems this is slowly changing. Here, I talk about why this has been the default in the first place, how you can overcome this, and what you and labs can do.
#academia #postdoc #postdoctoralresearcher #postdoclife #phd #phdlife
Matthias Rillig, professor of ecology at Freie Universität Berlin, talks about life in academia.
Interested in our lab? visit rilliglab.org.
Follow on X or bluesky for ecology and academic content: @mrillig
Find me on mastodon: @[e-mail]
LinkedIn: / rillig
Substack: matthiasrillig...
Want a particular topic covered? Please add your suggestion to the comments!

[@mrillig]

I think this is an important topic. A new study shows that 40% of postdocs do not stay in academia, the whole system is set up this way. High time to talk about 'alternatives', and there are maybe more options than you think. Let me know your take on this in the comments, also if you are interested in more videos on this topic.

[@adambode6749]

Glad you're posting again :)

[@mrillig]

:)

[@EarthPlanet356]

Thank you for covering this topic. Finding a job after graduation is what I am struggling with right now. I think staying in academia or going to industry depends much on the field of study. Sometimes, it is difficult to find a job other than academia for some majors. For example, my PhD was about a special topic in Quaternary geology. Now nearly one year after graduation, I could not find any postdoc position or other related job. I am disappointed and confused about what I can do! Staying in academia and doing research was what I enjoyed and hoped for.

[@mrillig]

Thanks for writing. Yes, I have a feeling you're right about the choice of major for the PhD being important also for alternative careers. Nevertheless, a PhD should be a jumping-off point for all careers; a postdoc is typically considered the first academia-specialized career step. I am not very familiar with geology and cannot give you tailored advice, but there are geological federal and state agencies in many countries, and many companies are related to geological topics. So even though your PhD may have been on a very specialized topic within geology, it should qualify you for a range of positions. Good luck!

[@EarthPlanet356]

Thank you very much for your explanation and suggestions. I will keep looking for different job opportunities, not only in academia.

[@weifu9241]

Thanks for sharing. When I see friends who have done postdocs for years but haven’t stayed in academia, I feel a little sad. Maybe I should rethink my views, as long as they’re happy and feel like they’ve gained something, that’s what really matters.

[@mrillig]

Thanks! I think this is a good way to think about it.