Academic Exit: A Playbook

You can exit academia and find a job in industry right now, with the skills you already have.

That may sound unimaginable. But I've coached more than 50 PhDs into industry with a 100% placement rate. So I am confident that you can make a successful academic exit with the tools in this playbook. 

Do any of these sound familiar?

You are on the fence about whether it is OK to exit academia. 

You have been told you are not qualified to do anything other than academic research.

You want to exit academia but are unsure what other jobs you are capable of. 

You believe you need more training before you can apply for an industry role.

You have applied to industry jobs but haven't landed one yet. 

You have no idea what goes into an industry-focused resume. 

You have landed your first role outside of academia but are unsure how to do it well. 

What this playbook offers for you:

This playbook provides an end-to-end framework for how to exit academia with tactical tools to move forward at every stage. 

After finishing this playbook, you will have: 

• Confidence that you can leave academia, if you choose to
• Clarity on which next steps to pursue at each stage of your academic exit
• A list of your job values and standards
• A narrative to communicate your career experience in language that lands
• A resume that catches the attention of your target hiring manager
• An interview mindset that puts you in a power position
• A checklist to set yourself up for success in your new job
• Tools to design your longer-term career path

Why trust what I've got to say on this topic?

I made an academic exit myself, landing a data science role at Facebook with a PhD in Human Evolutionary Biology and no industry experience.  

I have coached more than 50 PhDs into industry, with a 100% placement rate. 

I now run my own business as a career and leadership coach. 

I was on the interview panel for more than 100 data scientists at Facebook so I know what it's like to sit on the other side of the hiring table. 

I am committed to non-judgmental, informational language that helps academics feel more confident about what's next.

What academics have to say about the content in this playbook: