Upon completing a PhD, many PhD students decide to pursue a career in industry. Lots of them get a position in a company straight away. But many do find it hard to get a job offer in industry right after completion of their doctorate. Those might be facing the question whether to do an extra training course in preparation for an industry job.
Why do another course after your PhD?
You have already invested many years into your education. When getting your PhD, you got a very high qualification. Now you might ask yourself: Why should I do another course on top? Why do I need yet another qualification?
Unfortunately, many PhD programs do not prepare you very well for a career in industry. Thus doing certain courses after completing your PhD can make sense. Completing your PhD is not the end but the beginning of your professional journey.
To find your way into industry, doing an additional training course after your doctorate is only one of several possibilities. Another possibility is for example starting with a staffing agency. Both of these routes are rarely talked about when obtaining advice from the career counseling office. This is why I talk about them in this blog.
What courses are there?
The typical courses to prepare for an industry job are at least several month long. Examples would be courses about project management or web development. Other possibilities are courses in preparation to be a clinical study manager or to work in regulatory affairs.
Do the courses pay off?
This question is hard to answer. Everybody has to answer it for himself or herself. Ask yourself two questions. Am I able to get an industry job in the desired field straight away? Am I serious about pursuing a career in industry?
Most of the people I asked about this topic felt that they were hired because they had completed the course after their PhD. They did not believe they we hired because of their impressive academic record.
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