PhD - before, during and after
What jobs can you get with a PhD?
Five career options for a PhD
You have the world at your feet as a graduated PhD. But what jobs can you get with a PhD? Roughly speaking, you can divide your options into five different career directions.
Academic position
You continue at the university as Post.doc., Associate Professor, Professor, etc.
Research outside the university
You continue to research, but now with a new employer: usually within an industry, but also for commercial research institutions or an NGO.
Specialist
You use all the knowledge and expertise you have built up during your PhD scholarship and become a specialist in your field of study, but you do not actually conduct research. It could be a position as consultant, teacher, business developer, regulatory affairs, product manager or similar.
Generalist
You employ analytic skills, methodology and expertise, but you go far beyond your field. It can be as a consultant or in administration, project management or operations management.
Start up
Your unique knowledge and insight from and for research and all the skills you’ve acquired could also used to start up your own company. As a self-employed, you could work with product development, production, software development, business models or in consulting companies.
Career advice for PhDs
We have assembled some vital information that you should take into consideration during your PhD:
- Cooperate with the business community, if that is feasible (any kind of association is better than nothing)
- Expand your professional network all the way through your PhD research
- Don’t psych yourself out with an assignment - and do not exclude anything in advance
- Prepare your CV and your application as early as possible
- Remember that your next job is probably not the last one
Book a career counselling session
As a PhD, you are entitled to a meeting with a career counsellor who can help you find your career path.