Recently, I was reading advice about how to apply for industry jobs for PhDs. It got me curious about how folks were defining “industry” in this context.
I had a sense in my mind that “industry” referred mainly to STEM PhDs working in research roles at companies. But I also knew that some folks — and some PhD career advising companies — use the term more broadly.
So I asked directly: What does “industry” mean?
(What’s your answer, if you have one?)
Defining “industry” for PhDs
Well, as expected, I got a variety of responses, some of them quite different from each other.
It turned out that a bunch of folks did indeed define “industry” as “anything that’s not academia.” And they really meant it, including companies and non-profits and your own tiny startup and government and all the rest in “industry.”
Another group of folks told me that industry meant “for profit” companies, no matter how big or small or what they did.
A smaller number said no, that’s too broad, and “industry” actually means working in roles that are related to the work (scientific topic, research methods) you did during your PhD:
- So, the pharmaceutical industry, chemical companies, medical device manufacturers, and the like.
- For social scientists, “industry” in this sense would mean tech companies and businesses (UX, market research, data science, etc.).
- A performing arts PhD told me that her “industry” was working at a theatre company.
Of course, very similar work might be done by folks working at non-for-profit organizations and in government agencies, as well as in universities (think staff positions) and allied sectors such as healthcare. In that sense the distinction between “for profit” and “nonprofit” is highly relevant to tax authorities and not so much to job seekers.
Yes, I’m ranting 😭
A narrower, more PhD-specific definition
One person made the key (to my mind) point that an industry job was only that if the PhD was valued, not just for the knowledge and methodological expertise that comes with it, but that the credential itself was recognized as important, and perhaps that was reflected in the salary.
Hmm! Many fewer jobs will pass this test!
Okay. What’s my point? (I do have one!)
Advice for PhD job applicants
If you’re a career explorer or job seeker looking for industry jobs for PhDs, please know that information and advice you come across “for industry positions” might or might not be relevant to your own situation depending on the specifics.
Because the specifics can matter very much.
Applying for software development roles isn’t the same as applying for senior scientist positions isn’t the same as applying to policy or scicomm or program manager roles in government agencies isn’t the same… you get my point.
And, if you’re speaking with “industry” professionals, you’ll also want to be a lot more specific in your language, lest you confuse matters. As always, when it comes to networking and applying for jobs, specificity matters.
For a refresher on the steps you want to take before you apply for industry jobs for PhDs (so you can hit the application stage running and feeling awesome instead of stressed AF), check out my free training.