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News
Pursuing a Non-Academic Career Post-Graduation
As a proud graduate of the Faculty of Education, Dr. Dominic Trevisan shares the diverse career paths available to PhD graduates. Since earning his degree, Dominic has navigated the emotional transition from academia to a rewarding career in the medical communications field. His path is filled with valuable insights and practical advice for current students and recent graduates contemplating their next steps.
I currently work at Virgo Health, a Medical Communications agency in New York City, on a fully remote basis from my home in Boise, Idaho. Virgo Health collaborates with pharmaceutical companies to develop disease education content for healthcare professionals about new treatment options and evolving treatment guidelines for various diseases.
My PhD journey prepared me primarily for a career in academia, leaving me unprepared for alternative career paths. This is common, as not all PhD graduates secure academic positions, and some realize they don’t want them.
My decision to pursue a non-academic career was deeply emotional. Being an academic scholar had become part of my identity, and I struggled with the “sunk cost fallacy”—how could I consider another career after investing so much time, energy, and resources in academia?
Some mentors ingrained in me that a tenure-track position was the only worthwhile path. Exploring other careers felt like a betrayal, leading to feelings of guilt, overwhelm, and the perception of failure.
If this resonates with you, here are some tips for pursuing a non-academic career!
Tips for Pursuing a Non-Academic Career
Don't Wait
- Exploring career opportunities outside academia takes time and can be challenging to fit into your busy graduate student schedule. Start early to thoughtfully explore various career avenues rather than scrambling for a job at the end of your program.
Have a Backup Plan
- Even if your goal is an academic career, recognize that there aren’t enough desirable academic positions for everyone. Accept this reality early. Some peers accepted less desirable academic positions to keep their academic dreams alive, unaware of other career options. This often led to despair and financial hardship later when they realized they might never secure a desired faculty position.
Network Like Crazy
- Your supervisor and committee members may have your best interests at heart, but they aren’t the best resources for “alt-ac” career advice. Connect with SFU alumni and network with professionals on LinkedIn. Many are willing to share advice and help you along your path. Connecting with people at a company or institution you’re interested in is more effective than “cold applying” for positions online.
Utilize SFU Career Services
- If you’re unsure where to start, book an appointment with SFU Career Services and attend their workshops and events. They can help with everything from general job search advice, connecting you with alumni and professionals, attending career fairs, preparing for interviews, and helping you write a resume (you’ll need to convert your 25-page CV into a 1–2-page resume!). They’ve helped countless people navigate the transition from graduate school to their next steps.
My advanced degrees in Educational Psychology prepared me for my profession in Medical Communications in multiple ways. My science and research training at SFU, in addition to my experiences presenting and publishing my research during my time in academia, prepared me to synthesize complex datasets into coherent educational materials, which is what I do in my current role.
A career in academia can be a wonderful option for some, but what I want all recent or soon-to-be PhD graduates to understand is that your skills and talents are in high demand and that there are numerous exciting career possibilities in industry, government agencies, and non-profit institutions that you might not even know about yet!
Best of luck to all the recent or future graduates!
Interested in pursuing graduate studies in Educational Psychology? The next intakes for our MA/MEd in Educational Psychology and our PhD in Educational Psychology are slated for Fall 2025. Applications will open in Fall 2024.