A message to candidates pursuing a PhD: "If you start your PhD with an open mindset, you can have multiple job opportunities even before you submit your thesis.!" One of the major problems is that people do not feel comfortable thinking outside of academia because they are not aware of what exists outside of it. What opportunities are there for PhDs, and how to approach these opportunities? Especially in India, there is a lot of darkness around this information. Another problem that demotivates PhDs to join the industry is the kind of job profiles that are mostly posted. Either those will only demand MSc or experience! Very few job profiles mention PhDs in their qualification required. Sometimes these jobs even pay lesser than what a PhD holder deserves. But does that mean there are lesser job opportunities for PhDs? No, absolutely not! If you start in the right manner, take the right strategy to network and leverage resources at your hand, you can get your desired job! The question is, ARE YOU WILLING TO BUILD YOUR CAREER OUTSIDE ACADEMIA?
It is a common notion that many people do not respect the opinion of a PhD holder trying to get a job in the industry. They think it's below their intellect level to even think about it. People in academia often say, " If you are doing great in your PhD, then the only way to justify your hard work is to become a professor". It is assumed that jobs outside academia waste your talent and do not fuel your research intellect. And almost each one of us is bothered about what society has to say about us. What will other people think? More often than not, PhD graduates are conditioned to pursue further research to satiate society's mindset. It is difficult to take steps in this direction amidst all this chaos. Consequently, a PhD holder keeps pursuing postdoc after postdoc under different designation with no clarity on where their actions are leading to in the future. It's high time to be vocal about these aspects, normalize having a career outside academia and make PhD holders aware of the right approach and strategy to get employed in an industry. The limiting factor, in this case, is the mindset of candidates pursuing PhDs, and there is a dire need for them to be proactive in learning how to approach well-deserved opportunities using platforms like LinkedIn and leveraging networking by them.
We, at Metis Hive, are constantly working towards this. We are creating an ecosystem to bring the best resources for Life Science graduates to make informed decisions.
If you have any queries related to careers in Life Sciences, reach out to us at gometishive@gmail.com.
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