When I finished my PhD, I thought the hardest part was behind me. What I didn’t realize was that navigating life and work after academia would require just as much intentionality as earning the degree itself. Over the years, I’ve learned lessons that not only helped me build a career I love but also gave me resilience for when plans didn’t work out the way I imagined. I want to share some of that career advice with you today.
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Why Career Insurance Matters
One of the best pieces of advice I can give any PhD is to build what I call career insurance—the habits and strategies that make you less vulnerable to a single job or career path.
There are three ways I’ve found to do this:
- Become a Favor Economy Millionaire. For me, this meant sharing what I knew on LinkedIn and YouTube without expecting anything in return. Over time, this generosity built goodwill. People reached out to thank me, and in some cases, even recommended me for jobs. By helping others, I unintentionally created opportunities for myself.
- Reactivate Your Circles. Networking doesn’t have to mean going to awkward events or cold messaging strangers. Often, the most valuable connections are already in your world—former classmates, alumni groups, professional associations, even people you see at the gym. A simple message or conversation can lead to new insights, referrals, or opportunities.
- Create Your Own Party. Instead of waiting for someone else to invite you to opportunities, build your own platform. For me, this was writing posts, building my website, and creating videos. These became my “career insurance” because people could see what I had to offer before I even walked into an interview.
Discovering the Portfolio Career
Another concept that has changed how I think about work is the idea of a portfolio career. Instead of tying your identity to one job or one title, a portfolio career allows you to combine multiple streams of work.
- In a linear model, you use one skill across different roles—for example, a neuroscientist who teaches, consults, and writes.
- In a blended model, you bring together different but complementary skills. My own path—science, writing, and content creation—fits this model well.
- In a modular model, you keep separate skill sets distinct, like being a data analyst during the week and a fitness instructor on weekends.
For multi-passionate people like me, this is freeing. It means you don’t have to choose one passion at the expense of another. Instead, you can intentionally develop a few passions into real skills and weave them together into a fulfilling career.
Final Thoughts
If I could sum up my post-PhD journey into one piece of career advice, it would be this: don’t wait for others to define your path. Build your own career insurance, lean on the circles you already have, and explore the possibility of a portfolio career.
The PhD may be the foundation of your professional life, but the way you build on it—through generosity, connection, and creativity—is what truly creates a career you love.