PhD students worry about job searching after graduation

“Hi I’m a 22 year old PhD student, almost finished with the first year of my PhD. I’ve learned a lot but nowhere near done. I’m so scared about what will come after my PhD. I like my lab and I like my supervisor and in another 2.5 years I’ll graduate and have to find a job. I’m so scared of change and new things and the uncertainty of what will come in the future. I don’t even know if I’ll stay in academia or get a job in the industry. I haven’t published or been to a conference yet. Should I be”

“Anyone taken a gap of 1–1.5 years between PhD and first postdoc? Field: ed neuroscience/psychology USA Just curious if anyone here has taken a bit of a gap (voluntary or not) after their PhD before landing their first postdoc, and how it worked out. Currently struggling to find a postdoc, partly due to my low publication count. I’m working on that, but realistically it’ll take another 6–7 months to get some papers wrapped up (and of course, submission doesn’t guarantee acceptance). I have no one”

“Hi guys I was wondering if anyone had any two cents about what I should do w my career. I graduated with a degree in neuroscience and originally wanted to work in neuroscience research. I currently have an entry level lab research job (bio but not neuro) and I’m realizing this isn’t for me and I do not want to do what I thought I did. I mainly dont want to work severely underpaid until I’m 30/40, but I also don’t like the general atmosphere of working in academia for many reasons. I’ve been thin”

“Hello! Genuine question. I’ve been thinking about applying for a PhD program in USA. To give you some background. I’ve been working in biotech for three years on the testing side of AD as a lab scientist. I haven’t done much development work, I’ve focused more on testing. I’ve always noticed some knowledge gaps whenever I speak with senior scientists and associate directors in my group.This made me think I should upskill myself. Maybe I should do a PhD? I have a few concerns: With the growth of”

“Hi All, I need job search advice. Graduation - April '26 (PhD in education • dissertation is using qualitative methods and about AI in education, still in the job search phase and so far it's not going great. a) how to narrow down the interest when I am completely disinterested and depressed? b) what do I write in CV for the months that I am just job searching? Also, I'd appreciate it if anybody would be willing to look at my CV and give feedback about what I am doing wrong. Apprecia”

“Hello folks! I am a fifth year doctoral candidate in clinical psychology and I am in the process of applying to internship this fall for the 2027-2028 training cycle. I hold an MS degree in clinical psychology and a TLLP in Michigan. Currently, I am unemployed because I had a grant which supported my schooling without the need to work outside of the program until the end of this summer. Now, I am needing an income until I begin internship anywhere between June-September of 2027 (depending where”

“I just got my Master's in Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, and I am having a hard time finding work. I understand this is a niche degree, and the current job market is challenging. I'm frustrated because I worked hard for my degree and am struggling to find positions that match my qualifications. I have four years of research in topics such as human studies that used cognitive EEG recording, TBI research on behavioral impacts and motor skills, and some electrophysiological research”

“For those with a PhD in psychology outside of clinical psychology: What do you do for work, and how are you earning income? I’d love to hear actual job titles, career paths, and how you got there. I have a PhD in psychology(cognition/instruction,quantitative focus) and run a private practice under my master’s-level therapist license. I also teach as an adjunct, but neither role requires my doctorate. I’m having a hard time finding work where my PhD meaningfully changes the opportunities availabl”

“I'm in the final year of my PhD in UK and hoping to stay in computational neuroscience research after I finish. I'm starting to think seriously about postdocs and research jobs, but I'm not sure hw people actually go about networking for these positions. The last few years of my PhD have been difficult as I have had significant mental health problems, and some family circumstances. I am getting treatment now and doing better, and feel like I'm getting back on track. I have about”

“I worked so hard for 4 years day in day out Was working in the lab for more than 12 hrs Enjoyed like 3/4th of the time. Loved the results and discipline. Graduated last year July Worked remotely for a few months Now unemployed for 4 months What was the point? All that hard work submitted by /u/lazypanda2827 [link] [comments]”

“Just looking to feel some solidarity. I recently finished my PhD - got the highest grade and a recommendation for publication, so it was an incredible moment for me. It's been a few weeks, and I've since been working on 1) a book proposal based on my thesis, 2) applying for fellowships and academic jobs, and 3) a research paper. Additionally, for the past couple of months, I've been applying for non-academic jobs - to support myself financially - that fit my skills, which is difficul”

“Hello good people of reddit, im in need of advice. Im a recent graduate from phd from a neuroscience/molecular-based research program, i was running out if passion for research at the end of my program but thought, "who isnt", especially while writing a dissertation. After that I moved to another city and began a postdoc research program which has been terrible and confirmed that im over molecular/cell based research and i completely burnt myself out in the process of trying to prove o”

“Hi Everyone, I just got an admit for a PhD in Australia in a computer science related field (robotics, computer vision, machine learning, GPU computing etc..). However, the job prospects is something I am worried about after the PhD as it is a smaller market in Australia compared to USA and Europe. What are the chances of moving to those countries after my PhD? Thanks submitted by /u/Swing_Foreign [link] [comments]”

“Hi Everyone, I just got an admit for a PhD in Australia in a computer science related field (robotics, computer vision, machine learning, GPU computing etc..). However, the job prospects is something I am worried about after the PhD as it is a smaller market in Australia compared to USA and Europe. What are the chances of moving to those countries after my PhD? Thanks submitted by /u/Swing_Foreign [link] [comments]”

“Hi Everyone, I just got an admit for a PhD in Australia in a computer science related field (robotics, computer vision, machine learning, GPU computing etc..). However, the job prospects is something I am worried about after the PhD as it is a smaller market in Australia compared to USA and Europe. What are the chances of moving to those countries after my PhD? Thanks submitted by /u/Swing_Foreign [link] [comments]”

“Hello, I am about to finish my PhD in three months..I entered it knowing that I need it now so that I can concentrate on building my own establishment. Right now, I feel like I am not ready to start yet. I need more time, but I also need a source of income. People seem to all either work for an office or start as a researcher in universities. I tried opening the requirements to become an assistant professor and it seems they all seem to require two years of experience teaching or equivalent. I t”

“I finished my PhD about a month ago and am starting a postdoc in another month. Right now, I’m living with my parents and trying to use this downtime to actually recharge after a pretty stressful five years. I’m sleeping a decent amount (9+ hours) and eating well, but somehow it still doesn’t feel like enough. I don’t really feel rested or refreshed, and I honestly feel like I’ve forgotten how to take care of myself after being in survival mode for so long. Managing my anxiety with medication ma”

“This will be short, but basically, I’m a first year PhD student in Biochemistry. I know that I don’t want to work in academia and am curious on how to best use my time here to ensure I’ll find a good job in industry or something outside of academia. submitted by /u/NotSoSure138 [link] [comments]”

“UK post-viva: I submitted my thesis in April, viva’d and passed in May and have applied for 20 jobs so far. I have 5 active applications, but 15 rejections :( With 3 degrees in environmental science, I have focused my attention on environmental policy, civil service science and policy roles, environmental charity research and programme/project lead roles, consultancies and NGOs. I am truly exhausted, losing hope, and more than anything, feel really embarrassed. I knew the market was bad. but thi”

“I’m a recent veterinary graduate who started a postdoc in biomedical sciences at a university shortly after graduating. I’m also pursuing a PhD alongside the position. I’m a few months in and honestly pretty frustrated. I was encouraged to start very soon after graduation because there was a strong need for someone in the position, and I expected to be doing a decent amount of research fairly quickly. Instead, the main project I was hired to work on has been repeatedly delayed. It had already be”

“I'm starting a PhD where I will be doing Graph ML (somewhere along the lines of graph signal processing/ graph deep learning.) My eventual goal is research scientist at big tech, or whichever company has a strong research division, where I can continue similar AI/ML work. I have concerns about the job market (both now and in 5 years), and I'm wondering whether I should do my degree under the CS or EE department. Let me know below. Some factors for context: - my research is within the eec”

“I'm starting a PhD where I will be doing Graph ML (somewhere along the lines of graph signal processing/ graph deep learning.) My eventual goal is research scientist at big tech, or whichever company has a strong research division, where I can continue similar AI/ML work. I have concerns about the job market (both now and in 5 years), and I'm wondering whether I should do my degree under the CS or EE department. For context, my research is within the eecs overlap and this degree would no”

“I’ve seen a few post of people complaining about not finding a job after PhD. I’m just wondering that if the main issue is being “over qualified” for certain jobs. Is it okay to not disclose all of your qualifications ? And just ending at Masters. have your PhD time as researcher/ research assistant at x university? submitted by /u/BreakScary5053 [link] [comments]”

“Hi guys! I just recently graduated with my PhD in neuroscience this July. My dissertation was looking at early detection of Alzheimer’s using different technological tools. I’m trying to pivot into industry roles because I am honestly interested in the digital health field when it comes to older adults. (Just a little bit of background information) It’s been like 2 months and I feel like I’ve applied to what seems like 100 jobs now. Some through LinkedIn, and other job boards, or shared links. I”