At some point we all google or search ‘what can I do with my PhD?’, only to be met with unhelpful advice and non-specific guidance. To really understand what we can do with our PhD we need to think about our careers differently and break the mould of academia.

Academia often puts our lives on hold. We don’t usually get to think about or even choose where to live. As we approach the end of academia, we get to re-set and intentionally choose where to live based on our own happiness.

Historically, you should stay in a job for a minimum of 2 years. It’s becoming more common for people to move after 1 year. Changing jobs comes with both pros and cons, here we discuss them in detail.

Landing a promotion in the workplace is often seen as the benchmark for success. However, most academics don’t approach this in the right way. To help achieve a promotion it’s important to leave our feelings at the door, keep the conversation open, and to start the discussion as early as possible.

Academia is often siloed and a lonely journey. Knowing how to foster your career visibility in the workplace doesn’t come naturally to academics and PhDs. It’s an important skill to learn and develop when outside of academia. It will be essential to supercharging your career progression.

Being a manager isn’t as straight forward as it seems. Having adept interpersonal skills to foster support and develop those around you is essential. As you progress up the ladder it’s important to think about your manager shadow - how others perceive you, model and emulate your behaviour.

Remote working has become increasingly easier to find, with it being a strong selling point for employers. This perk is not to be underestimated. If used correctly, remote working can drastically improve your quality of life in as many ways as you can imagine.

Throughout our academic journey, it’s easy for our career to be the reason we get up in the morning, thus we start living in order to work. However, a new perspective of working in order to live may encourage you to explore other opportunities, leading to a better routine and happier lifestyle.

Nobody likes to read or study about a pension. However, our PhD and studying years typically sets us back in understanding and growing our pension, so it’s imperative we get to grips with it post-PhD and begin to understand and define a strategy that sets us up for success throughout our career.

We all fall victim to complaining and moaning about our careers at some point. This is a concern if it becomes a regular pattern we find ourselves in. Rather than accepting this we must take ownership over the situation and make choices that move us towards our happiness.

Your work culture is one of the most important things to consider when building your career. The interactions you have with others, the environment you work in, and the day-to-day relationships you have in the workplace should nurture you to become your best & happy self.

Delayed gratification comes relatively easy for most academics. This personality trait can enable you to thrive in your life and long-term career. However, if not careful it prevents us from reaching our full potential.

Intellectual challenge is everywhere during the PhD. As this ends, post-PhD blues can set in as intellectual challenge subsides. It’s important to set new goals either professionally or personally so you can push yourself further to keep growing and learning.

Worrying if the first job after academia is the ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ one can be crippling. Overall, what you do next isn’t too important. This post provides some encouragement and additional tips to consider.

Academia can have a direct impact on our sense-of self, self-esteem, and even our long-term ambitions. To truly thrive, it’s integral we start deprogramming ourselves and challenge the skewed norms of academia.

Identifying what a healthy work-life balance is integral to having long-term career happiness. PhDs find themselves with poor working hours which comes at a cost. Certainly, work-life balance should be a key consideration when making career choices.

Being ‘impactful’ is usually a reason to pursue higher education. After completing, there can be concerns around losing this sense of impact and fulfilment. This post discusses how to continue having impact in industry and whether you should stay academia or not.

Social mobility in your career pertains to obtaining new and exciting opportunities. Identifying your transferable skills is key to getting the ball rolling as it will help breed new opportunities and move you towards a career that is right and fulfilling to you.

Reaching your full potential is the end goal. This post provides an alternative perspective on how academia interferes with this journey and prevents you from becoming your best self.

Working out what salary you deserve and should be aiming for after your PhD is difficult. This post breaks down how to approach setting your post-PhD salary goals in order to build a life you will be satisfied with.