I teach PhDs how to identify job and career options that align with the life you want. That includes alignment of skills, tasks, interests, values, money, and all the rest.
Ideally, there is a clear path that offers it all, and soon.
But sometimes, maybe usually, a job doesn’t provide all the things.
When your job doesn’t give you X thing you really want or need, it doesn’t mean you can’t have X thing in your life.
This is where volunteering can come in (and hobbies and side jobs and other personal life).
Take me as an example: I’m self-employed, and my business is just me these days. I have meetings with clients, facilitate workshops, and host group calls for folks in my program, but I don’t work in a team, nor do I collaborate with others as part of my regular everyday work.
But I enjoy collaboration and teamwork. I like meetings! (Just not all the time, every day.)
This partly explains why I’ve done certain kinds of volunteer work.
I’m a board member of the Canadian Association for Graduate Studies. Previously, I was part of a group of “expert panelists” who were gathered together by the Canadian Council of Academies to prepare a report on PhD career transitions. I’m also on the management committee for a SSHRC Partnership Development Grant project.
(Basically, if an opportunity involves meetings or talking with people, I will say yes! 😂)
Other PhDs continue to research and publish to scratch an intellectual itch. Some teach courses as adjunct instructors because they miss interacting with college students or sharing academic knowledge (technically for pay, but maybe not a lot of it). There are lots of possibilities here.
Now, none of this is to say that you should volunteer. It’s an option, if and when you have the time and energy to do it.
In brief, volunteering can benefit you in the short-term, by allowing you to pursue certain kinds of activities or engage with particular people. Volunteer gigs can also help you build new and deepen or expand existing skills and knowledge. They can help you network without you doing any direct networking!
I hope in sharing this that I can alleviate some of the worries PhDs have about pivoting their careers away from academia.
You will be able to design a life that suits you. You don’t have to look for a job that will tick ALL your boxes (or bust).
Does that take some of the pressure off?
For a refresher on my PhD career clarity system, register for my free webinar.