Melissa Vaught

Almost four years ago, I finished my postdoc and started my first position outside of academia and research. Over the years, I’ve interacted with many considering a similar transition. Many assume or discover that their academic advisers know nothing about careers outside academia. This can leave many grad students and postdocs feeling a little lost about where to look for advice.

As you begin to explore careers beyond this time, it’s important to diversify your network and resources. In my experience, the internet provided information about many career options, and social media in particular gave me the opportunity to connect with individuals about their work. I also attended “research-adjacent” events in Boston—events that were science-related but not traditional research talks, such as an online science communication series and another hosted by my institution’s innovation office, which might bring together people in communications, technology transfer, or development.

As you search for answers and opportunities, don’t write off academic advisers and mentors. Many faculty seek to help their trainees achieve success, wherever and however their trainees might desire to find it. Thoughtful, receptive advisers have something to offer even to those looking to travel a path different from their own.

Exploring career paths

Although faculty might not know much about career options beyond the tenure track, they can share their experiences of academia. They can tell you why they pursued this path, what has kept them there, and what their experience has been over the years. This can be a useful perspective if you’ve previously considered the faculty track and are beginning to explore other options. It can offer a benchmark as you begin exploring what you are—and are not—interested in finding in a career.

Some faculty have not always been singularly committed to the tenure-track. Like most of us, many faculty weighed other careers as they worked through their own graduate and postgraduate work. They might have even pursued internships or certifications for non-research options. I know a faculty member who studied to sit for the patent bar. Some faculty even entered careers outside academia before starting down the tenure track. These faculty can provide particularly unique insights. Learn from their experiences and knowledge.

Also consider the structure of faculty networks. Immediately we think of all the other faculty they know. Yet we’re aware that only a fraction of those with doctoral degrees hold faculty positions. That means most people faculty have trained are not faculty themselves. Faculty, especially junior faculty, have peers from grad school or postdoc who pursued other careers. Many faculty also build relationships outside academia through consulting, seats on company boards, or collaborations with government or industry labs. While faculty themselves may not have relevant experience outside the tenure track, they can almost certainly connect you with those who do.

Broadening perspectives

Faculty often have some knowledge of organizations outside academia, such as professional societies, companies, or trade organizations they advise or serve. They might help you identify sectors of interest and opportunities that you’d not thought of before. Although I caution against primarily relying on faculty for specific advice about jobs outside their experience, they can be a good source of ideas.

Advisers are also well positioned to help you define your strengths and weaknesses. A typical doctoral student in the United States spends four to seven years in a lab. Postdoctoral appointments range from one to five years or even longer. That’s a long time to spend with an individual. Advisers learn something about how you operate. They recognize tasks and areas in which you excel. They know what things you’ve struggled with and how you’ve adapted to challenges.

Students and postdocs grapple with defining skills other than their technical expertise as they begin the transition to a different career track. Some see their expertise as very narrow, focusing on their subfield or methods. But conducting and publishing research require much more. Sometimes it helps to have an external perspective. Talking to those who know you and your work well, such as your academic advisers, may help you understand the broader set of skills you’ve developed and how they might be applied outside your current work.

Sometimes faculty advisers become true mentors too, and mentors of any variety often come to know you, not just your work. They can offer general advice, suggestions, and encouragements. I consider my PhD adviser a mentor to this day. As a postdoc looking for my first opportunity beyond the bench, he told me in a conversation, “At this point in your career, your next job isn’t going to be your last.” It verbalized an intuition that the next job was just one step along the way. It didn’t need to be perfect. I ended up landing in a job I loved, but at the time, conceptualizing my first job as a waypoint relieved a bit of pressure. It was the sort of insight that comes from experience and an understanding of an individual’s process.

Realizing opportunities

Faculty advisers can find other ways to support trainees’ progression toward non-tenure track careers. Many such careers exist within research and academic institutions themselves, such as technology transfer, government affairs, and research development. Beyond making introductions for informational interviews, faculty might be aware of or able to arrange part-time internships for trainees in institutional offices. Faculty are members of professional societies, which may be seeking volunteers for advocacy, junior leadership, or other tasks. They may serve as editors or sit on the editorial board for journals, which might welcome contributions such as research highlights. Faculty can connect trainees with such opportunities to help them build valuable experience.

Preparing for the leap into something new is a daunting process. Although it’s critical to grow and nurture a network that extends beyond academic circles, excluding academic advisers from the process could be an unrealized opportunity.

Melissa Vaught, PhD, previously worked as a scientific editor for Medical Science & Computing, contracted to the National Institutes of Health. She blogs occasionally on Ever On & On. You can find also her on Twitter: @biochembelle.