In 2020, after struggling for months to find a job outside academia, even with a Ph.D. in Microbiology & Immunology and postdoc experience at top public universities in the US, I realized something: we weren’t trained for this. 

Once I learned everything I could about how to get hiring managers to pay attention to me and land high-paying jobs outside academia, I began to teach others on social media to do the same and started to receive messages like these:

…and I began receiving invitations to speak to university audiences about career design and job-search strategies. I’ve had the pleasure of speaking to PhD candidates and postdocs at:

• Columbia University
• Brown University
• Johns Hopkins University
• The University of Oxford

…to name a few.

Academia taught us research, rigor, and resilience. But it never taught us how to pivot to careers we weren’t directly trained for.

That’s why I wrote Navigating the P.I.V.O.T.

In Navigating the P.I.V.O.T., you will learn how to:

P – Prepare Your Mindset

You are more than your PhD dissertation topic. Before the job hunt begins, you need to start thinking differently about how your PhD makes you a specialized problem-solver rather than a generic job-seeker.

I – Identify Target Roles

It’s time to stop spraying and hoping something sticks. Learn how to research roles that align with your strengths, values, and interests. It will make for a much smoother job search.

V – Validate Your Skills

You already have skills employers need. I’ll show you how to translate them into industry language that gets attention.

O – Optimize Your Application Materials

Build a powerful resume and create a compelling portfolio that helps you stand out.

T – Talk to People

Master the art of strategic networking and informational interviews without feeling fake or desperate.

You’ll also learn how to use mentorship and a personal opportunity engine after your pivot to build a career that can withstand the winds of the ever-changing job market, and which never leaves you at the mercy of one particular employer.

Written for PhDs, by a PhD.

This book is not motivational fluff. It’s a practical guide with tested strategies, frameworks, and real insights from interviews with 100+ PhDs and academics.

Who this is for:

• PhDs who feel stuck, ignored, or invisible in the job market
• Postdocs, grad students, or faculty preparing to leave academia
• Anyone ready to take control of their future on their own terms

You did the hard part. Now let’s make it pay off.

You already earned the degree. Now it’s time to earn the career that comes with it.

Click “Buy Now” to start navigating your pivot.

About the Author

Dr. Gertrude Nonterah has a Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology from Lewis Katz Temple University School of Medicine. She knows the journey of career reinvention because she’s lived it. As the Founder of The Bold PhD Consulting and host of The Bold PhD Podcast (streamed in over 50 countries), she helps fellow PhDs navigate life beyond the ivory tower. Her practical, story-driven advice through keynote talks and workshops on personal branding, networking, and career design has reached audiences at 30 universities and professional organizations. Her mission is simple: to empower PhDs to design and build careers without losing their identity and impact along the way.

Dr. Nonterah currently lives in Southern California with her family.