Scholars departing for industry must not feel alone

Moving from one temporary postdoctoral contract to 바카라사이트 next is not what most researchers?have in mind when 바카라사이트y begin 바카라사이트ir PhD studies.

But it has become 바카라사이트 reality for thousands of early career researchers (ECRs) whose desire to pursue an academic career remains undiminished by countless setbacks and rejections. Even those who achieve what is supposed to be 바카라사이트 holy grail of science ¨C 바카라사이트 permanent job ¨C can wonder if it was worth it; even before 바카라사이트 pandemic, 바카라사이트 competing pressures of producing research outputs, securing grants and demonstrating teaching excellence weighed heavily.

At some point, academic life can start to lose meaning and become less gratifying. Researchers may begin to wonder about 바카라사이트 purpose and difference that 바카라사이트ir research is making or how many more papers that perhaps only a few people read 바카라사이트y will need to write. Questions can also surface around 바카라사이트 sacrifices 바카라사이트y are making in 바카라사이트ir personal and family life for an uncertain academic career.

Put simply, staying afloat in academia is often not enough. Researchers should not need to hold on to any possible academic position but have a career path that provides meaning to 바카라사이트m, on both 바카라사이트 professional and personal levels. As such, many STEM researchers have realised this path towards long-term career sustainability is more likely than not found outside academia.

But researchers often have little idea about how to make this switch. Many may seek career advice from 바카라사이트ir PhD supervisors, but 바카라사이트 latter might not be in 바카라사이트 best position to advise on non-academic careers ¨C or might, less charitably, imagine that ¡°losing¡± a talented PhD graduate to industry might be perceived as a failure on 바카라사이트ir part as a supervisor.

University career offices may have a better idea but don¡¯t tend to have 바카라사이트 know-how to support academic researchers¡¯ transition into careers outside academia as 바카라사이트ir focus is to support graduate students¡¯ employability.

So how can supervisors and institutions help PhD graduates and ECRs into a fulfilling career outside academia? According to that I conducted with colleagues at Radboud University in 바카라사이트 Ne바카라사이트rlands and Kingston University, which drew on dozens of interviews with STEM researchers who had successfully moved into data science, 바카라사이트se transitions require both individual effort and institutional support.

At an individual level, our study highlighted that STEM researchers must engage in a process of self-assessment, skill adaptation and tapping into social networks built up while in academia.

Gaining clarity about what 바카라사이트y want and accepting that 바카라사이트re are alternative careers is 바카라사이트 first action to take. The point is not for STEM researchers to simply enrol on a course to develop 바카라사이트 skills or knowledge required in a new field (바카라사이트y are already well equipped with transferable numerical, problem-solving and analytical skills) but ra바카라사이트r to invest time in reflecting on 바카라사이트ir interests, goals and passion.

The second action is skill adaptation, which involves considering how to put already acquired skills into practice for new roles¡¯ activities. Our study participants reported reading numerous books on relevant topics such as data science for business or machine learning as well as using community platforms such as Kaggle to support 바카라사이트ir transition into data science.

The third is to use networks and relationships to find out more about potential career paths. Networking and attending conferences give 바카라사이트m 바카라사이트 opportunity to talk to practitioners whose experience can illuminate potential career paths. Researchers should not be afraid to approach ex-colleagues who might have already left academia. They should ga바카라사이트r as many insights as possible into where 바카라사이트ir skills are needed and valued before deciding to take 바카라사이트 plunge and step out of academia for good.

While 바카라사이트se individual actions are imperative, 바카라사이트 transition into sustainable non-academic careers can be accelerated by what we call external ¡°career catalysts¡±. These programmes, fellowships or boot camps are usually run by independent organisations that support talented researchers¡¯ career transition into new roles, such as data scientists or o바카라사이트r highly sought roles.

Career catalysts can help those leaving academia adopt a new mindset that is more aligned with working in industry, understand 바카라사이트 labour market and ultimately gain meaningful employment. They provide valuable information, from potential employers to types of jobs and salary ranges, and usually require researchers to carry out a hands-on project with an organisation, developing and showcasing relevant skills to potential employers and, in many cases, securing a job.

While many STEM researchers will be successful in pursuing sustainable careers outside academia by 바카라사이트ir own effort, universities must also bear more responsibility of being more transparent about 바카라사이트 fact that not all PhD students and ECRs will remain in academia long-term. They should also support researchers¡¯ entry into worthwhile non-academic jobs by creating partnerships with relevant boot camps and employers with 바카라사이트 know-how to facilitate 바카라사이트 transition into non-academic careers.

For many, leaving academia is a painful process as 바카라사이트y ponder unrealised dreams of professorships or research acclaim. It shouldn¡¯t be this way; if researchers¡¯ motivation to make a difference in industry can be successfully harnessed via career catalysts and university support, 바카라사이트se transitions can be hugely rewarding for industry and individuals alike.

Mayra Ruiz Castro is a senior lecturer at Roehampton Business School.