I'm sure this kind of question has been asked here before! I'm in the final year of my PhD and up until now felt pretty sure that I wanted to enter academia. I have really enjoyed my PhD (well most of the time)! Alongside working on my thesis I have undertaken teaching, published journal articles, and been involved in other research projects. Paving the way for my future career, or so I thought. I started looking for jobs recently and spotted a non-academic role which appealed to me. It is a research role, it is permanent and full-time, and relates to a field in which I have previously worked and enjoyed. I have applied for it, but whilst I'm waiting to hear, I'm asking myself which route is best for me: academia or non-academia, and how do I decide? Any tips or advice will be gratefully received.

Hi, 323cjm,

I think that you should work on something that you have strong interests in. People perform best when they are doing something they enjoy.

I would suggest that you apply for jobs which you are interested in, regardless of whether they are in academia or industry. And as pm133 has pointed out, your decision doesn't need to be final. I know people who have jumped from academia to industry, and then came back to academia again. So, it is possible.

Hi

Many thanks for your replies. I find this helpful advice. I will apply for the job I have seen and continue to look for jobs in academic and non-academic environments to see what comes up. It's useful to think that this is not a final decision and that it doesn't rule out moving between sectors in the future.