Staying in academia allows you to meet great minds who want to improve the world through knowledge production – but it also has its challenges. In this article, we explore the ins and outs of a career in academia and potential options for students passionate about conducting research.
As the complexity of our world increases, so too does the need for academics with a deep understanding of complex phenomena across disciplines.
Many academics typically begin their careers as research assistants or research fellows while working toward their PhD. Day-to-day, working in academia typically involves tasks like conducting research, writing papers, applying for grants, teaching, and mentoring students. While it is generally required to complete a master’s degree before pursuing a PhD. Although some universities do accept PhD candidates without a master’s degree.
Pursuing a career in academia is attractive to many postgraduate students, as it is where the limit of our knowledge gets explored. A passion for research and understanding is the primary motivator for staying in academia. For those interested in researching the world of work, the Academy of Management is a professional association for researchers in the field of management or organizations. As Kevin Rockmann, Editor-in-Chief at the journal Academy of Management Discoveries (AMD), artfully puts it, “How I would explain AMD is you see one plant growing taller than another plant in your experiment, or maybe in the garden, and you want to go understand why.” (00:00)
It’s not difficult to see why many students are drawn to academia. Universities are filled with great minds driven by an ambitious pursuit to uncover and produce groundbreaking ideas. According to the Higher Education Policy Institute, 67% of PhD students in the UK want a career in academic research. That’s despite the higher pay the corporate world generally provides.
Joachim Henkel, Associate Editor at AMD, says, “What is common is an interest in what’s really going on in the world because, in the end, we want to understand what’s going on, and that process builds theory and extends theory, but we want to understand what’s really happening.” (02:31)
While you can conduct research in a business environment, staying in academia has its advantages.
There are many benefits to staying in academia over the private sector. Most obviously is flexibility to work on your own schedule or even work remotely. Being on a university campus provides ample opportunity for cross-disciplinary collaboration. And notably, there’s greater intellectual freedom to pursue the areas you’re interested in.
Pursuing scientific knowledge requires researchers to push boundaries, while rigorous scientific methods are necessary to ensure the validity and reliability of research findings. Lauren Howe, an AMD guest editor, highlights that the exciting aspects of research involve exploring and digging into data to find the interesting and unexpected. It is essential for researchers to have the freedom to explore and probe deeper into their studies to better understand the phenomena they are studying. (01:38)
PhD students are well-trained for academic careers. They have the technical skills for data analysis, presenting research, and writing for peer-reviewed journals. However, academia remains a highly competitive market. Only 10-30% of graduate students obtain a permanent position after their doctoral studies. Let’s look further at the more challenging aspects of staying in academia.
Academics face several challenges compared to researchers who work in the private sector. For example, academics can struggle to translate and adapt their research into practice. They also face narrower career options, and the traditional paths to becoming a faculty member are extremely competitive. PhD students also feel underprepared for upper-level roles that require managing people, applying for funding and managing budgets.
However, the most glaring contrast between a career in academia versus a career in the private sector is the salaries. Universities simply cannot compete with corporate salaries. In a survey of 3,200 working scientists, findings show that those outside of academia are more satisfied and better paid than their counterparts in academia. Thus, it is unsurprising that many researchers eventually make the decision to leave academia.
There are many career options for private sector research depending on your skills and experience. Those interested purely in increasing their knowledge in a field can find careers as research scientists. Alternatively, the job search may lead to using their analytical skills as data scientists. Technical writing is another option, with opportunities to document research findings and communicate complex technical information to a broad audience. Of course, some researchers choose to become consultants to apply their knowledge to solve specific problems.
Working in the private sector has benefits, such as access to greater resources and the opportunity to apply research directly to real-world problems. Nevertheless, it also has its own challenges, from navigating corporate politics to following top-down decision-making.
If you’re committed to staying in academia, you should first identify the field in which you want to specialize. Because working in academia is highly competitive, it’s important that you are passionate about your specialized field. Once you’ve done this, you should:
All in all, staying in academia will allow you to meet like-minded people who want to make a difference in improving the world through the advancement of knowledge.
Interested in staying in academia after your master’s? Get in touch with a master’s student or alum to hear more about their experience!
