Does Completing a PhD Really Increase Your Employability?
In the modern knowledge driven 21st century, employers all across the board seek highly educated and experienced personnel to add into their board of staff. Having said that, PhD graduates are one of the highly sought after and skilled candidates in the domain of human capital. Their skills are highly utilized in the fields of either academia or research based organizations in the market as the skills gathered by them in research and analysis for thesis during the PhD tenure are unmatched and highly diverse.
Statistics in favour of PhD
According to the Longitudinal DLHE survey conducted by HESA on the outcomes of employment of graduated PhD candidates in the United Kingdom, 77.5% of the PhD graduates were able to get into full time positions 3.5 years after their graduation, and 8.2% of the PhD graduates were able to engage themselves in part time work during the same period. Thus, 85.7% of the survey candidates were able to find jobs within 3.5 years of their graduation from PhD. According to their findings, PhD graduates are highly employable as majority of the students either find a job or started to purse higher training in terms of Post-Doctoral programs.
The Non-academic attributes
The attributes possessed by PhD graduates are highly recognized, not only in the field of academia but also by the industry. Some of the demanded skills set recognized by various employers in PhD graduates include high degree of problem solving skillset, the determination to identify innovative and relatively better methods to solve arduous challenges. Moreover, having a PhD degree adds to the characteristics of the candidate and to the credibility of the employing organization. Apart from that, employing organizations seek abilities in their employees such as data analytics, project management, interpersonal skillset, which are engraved in the characteristics of PhD graduates. These skillsets are gathered inherently while preparing for the PhD, which employers highly value in the today’s time. These peripheral qualities demonstrate great attractiveness among the employers for non-academic profiles.
The present brand of employers have identified that PhD is no longer an academia based professional course. The present day PhD candidates are highly versatile and diverse as they inculcate wide band of transferable skillset. The experience they have during the PhD work including voluntary work, assisting professors in classes, giving presentations, and so on have a lasting impact on their employability.
Universities enhancing employability of PhD graduates
Nowadays, universities have also understood the changing patterns of the skill set required in the modern day industries and organizations. Therefore, they have also developed programmes or amended new changes in the existing programmes that encourages developing skillsets to increase the employability of PhD candidates including developing administrative and leadership skills, apart from enhancing academic skills. Nowadays, many of the PhD graduates are moving into the field of highly lucrative jobs instead of going into intransigent research and teaching.
In a nutshell, a PhD really does increase your employability. This is because PhD graduates offer a strong inquiring approach and attitude, unparalleled analytical skill set with perseverant problem solving psyche, a comprehensive self-confidence to display their ideas, and lucid and eloquent writing and speaking skills, among others.