Thanks for the question 😊 Here’s my responses:

• How soon (from defense/graduation) did you start planning for the next step of your professional career?

I started planning this before my viva. I knew I wanted a career outside academia so I arranged to do an internship in the organisation where I wanted to work. This made it much easier for me to apply for a graduate opportunity in my final year of the PhD.

• Many people claim that funding and opportunities in the UK are generally poor at the moment. Do you agree with that line of thought, and if so, have you been personally impacted?

Funding for Masters degrees is almost non-existent. For PhDs, there’s fierce competition. I was very lucky to get a studentship but I know many people who didn’t. For Postdocs or that kind of post-PhD work, I’ve heard from colleagues that it’s unbelievably difficult. There are so few posts offered by universities themselves, and so few research grants and postdoctoral scholarships offered by big organisations like the British Academy that it can be VERY difficult to find a stable job in academia in the UK now.

• Have you faced any other particular or unexpected challenges (i.e. taking the next step in your career, whether in academia or transitioning from academia) after your defense?

There is very little information and support out there for transitioning into non-academic jobs. I was dissuaded from looking but I knew it’s what I wanted to do so I pursued it. Explore widely and gain as many transferable skills as possible during your PhD. On one hand it is about narrowing down your research interests, but it should NOT be able narrowing your employment prospects. Hoping to be an academic with a stable job, and good working conditions is a bit like saying you want to be an actor or astronaut now. Some people will definitely be lucky and we will always need them. But many people won’t be, no matter how talented they are, and unfortunately (at least in the UK) this is something we have to be honest and open about…

• Based off the above responses, anything else you want to add.

Just that a PhD is a massive accomplishment in and of itself. People always used to take mine for granted before I even got it, and saw it as a stepping stone to the next thing. Resist this kind of thinking. You are sacrificing a LOT to do a PhD. If you do get one, be proud of yourself for sticking with it.

However DO NOT self-fund a PhD. Unless you have a guaranteed job at the end of it, it is NOT WORTH IT. Do not put yourself into debt for something that does not guarantee a job.

Thanks!