Getting a Ph.D. is a huge accomplishment that may have taken you a total of 8 years to obtain. You went
through a lot while in school, on and off campus. But now you have the rest of your life ahead of you,
and you have some serious decisions to make.

There are three different areas of the industry that you can enter into, with various paths under each of
them. Before we get into that, though, follow the tips below.

• Take a deep breath
• Take a few days to rest and relax
• Go do something fun (just stay out of trouble)

You have gone through a lot, so you deserve to take a little time and celebrate your accomplishment.
Not many have the dedication that you have had over the last decade. Once you feel relaxed and ready
to push forward, it will be time to get your best dress clothes out and start looking for work.

1. Pay The Bills – First off, you need to be able to pay the bills while you are looking for a job in
your field. Remember that you are not the only person trying to get the jobs you are looking at,
so take what you can so you can pay your bills. Even if you must keep the same position you had
while going through school. You must have money coming in.

2. Set Your Goals – Take the time to honestly think about what you want to accomplish in your life,
not just in the moment. Think into the future to ensure that you are moving in the direction you
need to go to meet your goals.

3. Follow The Path To your Goals – You will quickly find three areas of the industry that you can go
into. You will need to follow the path to your goals, whichever route will help you finish your
journey to the end.

• Academic Route – This is the most obvious choice that you will have because your
  learning creates a person that can teach alongside the best of them. The thing, though,
  is that so many graduates are entering this industry, making it hard to break in. The best
  option for you if this is what you want is to find another university to go to so you can
  work with another person that can help guide you and mold you. This is not the quickest
  way to break into teaching, but it is the best way.
• Semi-Academic Route – One of the best routes for you is to go into the field as a
  support person. You can always find a job as statistical support personnel to a
  researcher. Research relies heavily on statistical data and reports, which the researcher
  has difficulty deciphering, even if they have the time. That is where you come into the
  picture. You will help them understand the information that will be vital in whatever
  research they are in.
• Business Route – There will always be a need for PhDs in the business sector. You could
  go into many things, such as a statistician for a pharmaceutical company.

You all know how much money you can make working with some big medicine companies worldwide.

The thing to keep in mind is that it is business, which means fast-paced, long hours, and
tight deadlines.

That is all that there is to it. It looks easy, but it is not. You have a ton of things that you need to do to
get into the field you want. It may seem like a good idea to take a job in one sector and move over when
possible.

As a general rule, this is not the best way to go because once you settle into one, such as business, you
will have difficulty switching back to academics. That is why it is so important to know what direction
you want to go in and follow it even if you have to keep a low-paying job.