Career Opportunities after Pursuing PhD: Specialisations, Entrance Exams, Colleges, Jobs & Salary

The All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) 2021–22 report says about 2,12,474 students are enrolled in PhD programs in India. With more people doing PhDs, the question “What to do after PhD?” is becoming more important. Read this article to know the career options after a PhD course. Learn what the career options are after a PhD course in this article.

Career Options after PhD

Career Options after PhD - A PhD or Doctor of Philosophy is a doctoral research degree and normally the highest level of academic qualification a student can achieve. A PhD course involves engaging in in-depth research along with a thorough understanding of research issues and the ability to solve key problems with exceptional analytical and observational skills.

But before choosing a PhD course, it’s important to know its scope and career chances. Many people think a PhD degree only gives jobs in teaching or research. Meanwhile, career opportunities after PhD in India are not limited to academic profiles. 

PhD graduates can easily get job opportunities in different industries, think tanks, policy-making bodies, and even entrepreneurship. The career opportunities for PhD are diverse. In this article, we will discuss top 10 career opportunities after PhD in India and other important details.

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Nowadays, Management consulting firms are mostly looking for people who can have an aerial view of the problems. As a PhD holder has a strong technical background and is specifically trained to troubleshoot difficult problems, more preference is given to them.

Fact: A key advantage of securing a Management Consultant position is that it will open doors for a variety of opportunities, including executive management, venture capitalism, and entrepreneurship.

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In the Government Sector

If you are someone who wants to serve the country, then go for jobs offered in the Government sector. You could be working at one of the ministries, where you will have to understand complex problems and help in making informed choices. Another choice is, you could use your keen mind to work your way up in a political party and serve your country as -eventually, hopefully- a minister.

Another popular position is that of a Military Researcher. Apart from this option, there are many other opportunities and multiple positions available with the state and central government. There are also options available for conducting research as a civilian government employee.

As a Product Manager

Talking about the profile of Product Managers (PMs), they are responsible for managing the entire life cycle of an innovative product. They supervise and oversee the development and management of a product after it launches. He/ she needs to analyse the product’s market performance as well as determine ways to boost a product’s commercial success while simultaneously determining how to phase out or terminate the older versions. The role of a Product Manager is usually available in most technology-based sectors, including electronics, aeronautics, IT and software, and of course, the biotechnology and pharmaceutical sectors.

As an Entrepreneur

Over the last ten years, the relationship between academia and start-ups has only grown stronger. In the present-day scenario, everyone wants to have their own identity in the market, and people with a PhD degree want to apply their learning in the best way possible. For this, many PhD degree holders opt to start up their own business. If not an entrepreneur, a lot of students prefer working with a start-up and gain experience before setting up their own company.

Other Popular PhD Career Options with Specialisations

Tabulated below are some more profiles that one can go for after completing their PhDs:

Popular Entrance Exams for PhD

Some popular entrance exams that can get students into a PhD programme at major institutes are mentioned below 

How do I Sell my PhD to Employers?

There are a few skills and characteristics that you must possess before selling yourself for the dream job. Given below are the same -

• Communication skills: while giving many presentations, lectures or seminars.

• Creative thinking: PhD students are known for their out-of-the-box thinking and ideas to solve a given situation and design unique strategies to overcome problems.

• Management ability: It is important to have the ability to organize tasks according to their priority.

• Problem-solving skills - during PhD, numerous problems occur, the student should know how to define a problem, determine the cause of it, and then selecting alternatives for a solution; and implementing a solution for it.

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