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Nicole Betz, PhD Profile picture
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Jul 26 • 6 tweets • 2 min read
Woke up to 5K followers! Thank you all so much 🥰

A quick re-introduction:

I’m Nicole, I spent over 10 years in academia researching emotions, concepts, and reasoning.

A few years into my “dream postdoc” at Yale I realized that I didn’t want to be in academia anymore…

1/ Image of Nicole, a white femme person, smiling in front of a
I’ve battled depression, anxiety, and chronic illness (#hEDS) my whole life and the stress of short-term academic employment away from support systems took its toll on me physically and mentally.

On top of chronic pain and month-long migraines, I had to have a surgery…

2/
to remove tumors along my spine.

The academic job market obvi didn’t pause for my recovery and I decided I needed to make a change to prioritize my health.

While recovering from surgery, I built out my network and learned about non-ac jobs through informational interviews.

3/
I did a little PT contract work as an Instructional Designer (which I really enjoyed!) but decided to go the research route because I felt like I would miss designing studies and working with data.

I was lucky in my job search and landed my current role in a few months.

4/
I’m now a marketing researcher for an ad tech company and I am leaps and bounds happier and healthier than when I was in academia.

I work remotely so have time and flexibility to do all the PT I need for my back and #hEDS and I haven’t had a migraine last longer than a day!

5/
I love my company, my team, and enjoy the work I do every day. It’s engaging, I learn a lot, and my work is appreciated.

I’m on Twitter to share my story/tips, encourage #AltAcChats, circulate resources, and help people build non-ac connections.

Thanks for listening 🥰💜

6/6

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More from @njoybetz

Nicole Betz, PhD Profile picture
Jul 25
I often give the advice that the first step to transitioning out of academia is to reflect/learn about non-ac job options.

I want to dig into this a little… what do I mean by reflecting, and when may it be helpful?

1/
In terms of what reflection means/how to do it, it’s mostly:

1) thinking about what you like/ don’t like about your current role
2) learning about other roles you may be suited for
3) learning what other roles may offer that is important to you (location, PTO, remote, etc)

2/
This stage was super helpful to me BUT I had a huge luxury when starting to think about non-academic paths: time. I was in a postdoc position that was funded through another year with a supportive mentor.

I wasn’t in a hurry to get out so I took my time on this stage

3/
Read 7 tweets
Nicole Betz, PhD Profile picture
Jun 17
I’ve gotten a lot of questions about non-ac interviews this week.

A few tips:

1. Look up a position and/or company on GlassDoor for sample interview questions and answers. Tons of content here, especially if you just search for common positions.

glassdoor.com/Interview/inde…
2. You’ll almost certainly get the “Tell me about yourself/your background” question so def prepare for this.

Come up with a good, succinct story summarizing your background/ experience. Tailor it a bit to the role, highlighting your most relevant skills.

Practice on a friend
3. Stay positive if you are asked why you are leaving academia.

This question isn’t an invitation to complain. Focus on what you want from the role that academia isn’t giving you.

For example, one of my reasons for leaving was I wanted to do work that was more applied.
Read 8 tweets
Nicole Betz, PhD Profile picture
Apr 28
“Why am I not getting interviews?”

There are many reasons why PhDs may be overlooked for roles. Here are a few common ones:

(Please add to thread any that I’ve missed!)
1. No Referrals: Whenever possible, get a referral when applying to a job. Your application is SO MUCH less likely to be seen without one.

Apply to jobs at companies where you know someone or network on LinkedIn/with alums to get refs.
2. Wrong Job Level: You may be applying to jobs that are too high level / want prior industry experience from applicants. You also may be applying to too entry level jobs where the company sees you as overqualified.

This is tricky but also relates to next point…
Read 7 tweets
Nicole Betz, PhD Profile picture
Apr 27
It’s somewhat common for PhDs pivoting to non-ac jobs to feel like they “wasted years of their career” in the program.

I’ve felt this too. Here’s why/ how I calm myself down:
1/
First a why.

It can take a while to get your first non-ac job. I’ve heard of 8-12 months on the longer end of the timeline and some give up before landing a role. There can be a lot of rejection in this stage.

Many ppl struggle to translate their skills to non-ac terms… 2/
BUT not knowing how to communicate skills =/= no skills.

We learn a lot in PhD programs. Research design, stats, coding, data vis, writing, oral presentations.

All of these are valued in the non-ac world but we don’t know to sell them. This is what you need to do to pivot 3/
Read 8 tweets
Nicole Betz, PhD Profile picture
Apr 27
Agreed and I actually think that it’s a lot more money lost out if you don’t go straight to industry.

Factor in 401k, salary projections, opportunities for advancement. You can be missing out on $500k+ easily for 2 years of postdoc. And maybe push your retirement.
Honestly I didn’t even consider going straight into industry after PhD and that was a huge financial mistake.

PhD stipends and postdoc salaries are pretty stagnant. In contrast, my job does raise considerations every six months. Not just inflation raises but real ones.
I know we’re raised to think we don’t need higher salaries/it’s not “about the money” but life is EXPENSIVE.

One example: we don’t have free medical in this country and you don’t know when you’ll need med care. My med treatment is relatively cheap and costs about $5k per year.
Read 4 tweets
Nicole Betz, PhD Profile picture
Mar 3
To any grad students still wondering how their peers can afford studio apartments, brand new cars, take-out, regular restaurant trips, concerts, fancy vacations on a grad student stipend: they can’t. They’re probably being supported by family. It’s not you unable to manage $$
Take this as a cue to stop comparing yourself to your peers. It’s a lot easier for some to meet grad school demands if they aren’t worried about money, don’t have to sustain themselves on rice and beans/ramen, can live near school instead of having a 1.5 hour commute.
Everyone’s background is different and we do not start grad school on even footing. But you deserve to be in academia even if you sometimes feel like you’re struggling. Don’t be afraid to reach out to therapists/advisors/grad student heads when you are struggling. They can help.
Read 4 tweets

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