Ask a first or second year PhD student what they want to do after completing, and you can bet that most will answer that they want to get an academic job.

In the final stages of your PhD you can become so absorbed in finishing that the last thing on your mind is what happens next!

You need to be realistic and honest with yourself about what a PhD is, in pure employment terms. If you’re funded, you’re receiving a salary for X number of years, to produce a given output (your dissertation).

For how much longer will a career outside of higher education (H.E.) be considered an ‘alternative’ career for PhDs? After all, a 2010 UK study by Vitae showed that only 22% of doctoral graduates were working in H.E. teaching or lecturing roles three-and-a-half years after graduating, with only 19% in H.E. research.

How do you feel about working and earning a living? As something that you have to endure, or as something that you really enjoy?

Since 2009 I’ve had the pleasure of getting out on the road, sharing the story of my own career change with audiences of researchers and academics. I’ve made a successful transition from a PhD in Medieval Studies, into a career in business, project management and consultancy. I love telling my story and helping PhDs with their own career thinking.

For many PhDs, switching careers is a pretty big change. Decades spent in education and now you want to take your passions and transferable skills outside of academia?! To make this leap, you’re going to need a decent run-up.

As intelligent people we’re expected to do well. It’s actually fantastic that we have such a supportive network around us: all the people who care about us and take an interest in our success. When we were starting out, they set high expectations for us.

When you’re seeking a professional job outside of academia after your PhD or post-doc, who can you turn to for career advice and support?

Did you always want to be an academic? Many PhDs look back and ask, just how did my desire to complete a significant piece of self-guided research turn into a wish to become a permanent member of academic staff?!

In the first part of this 2-part post, I introduced the whole subject of deciding when to quit the academic job search. In the second part of this post I’m going to lay out a decision-making framework for you.

One day a caterpillar met an inquisitive bug. The bug, who’d never seen a caterpillar before, asked ‘What sort of creature are you? What special powers do you have?’

As a PhD or post-doc you get very used to thinking about yourself as a specialist within a specialism – for instance I studied within the Arts and Humanities Faculty, focussing on the history and popular culture of Medieval England. Very specialised!

‘What jobs can I do with a degree in X?’ is a question many graduates ask. If you hold a vocational degree like law or medicine, then there’s an obvious corresponding profession … but what about other subjects in the arts and humanities?

Having read a lot of career-related blogs and comments written by PhDs/ABDs/adjuncts/academics in the past few months, I’ve been struck by the lack of confidence some folks have in their own skills and abilities.

Primary school, secondary school, undergraduate degree, postgraduate study – many PhDs have spent their whole life working towards goals that are education related. It’s natural to think of an academic position as the logical next step or culmination of all those years of work.

Are you familiar with the Twitter hashtag #withaPhD? This hashtag originated in a discussion between Jen Polk (of From PhD to Life fame) and me. We noticed that newly minted PhDs often refer to themselves as PhDs, rather than as people who have doctorates – have you done this yourself?

Check out the four main employment pathways open to doctoral graduates.

What could your life look like after your PhD, if you chose to pursue a career outside of academia? You can find out by browsing through the hundreds of inspiring post-PhD interviews, profiles and autobiographies available online.

‘Who do you want to work for?’ and ‘Where do you want to work?’ are two questions you’re unlikely to hear in a discussion of the current academic job market.