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Why career development education is important*

  • In Australia, between 2019 and 2024, nearly 80% of ECRs working in health and medical research considered making a major career change. During that time, over 60% transitioned to non-academic roles.

  • In non-academic roles, PhD graduates often have to counter narratives of being ‘over-qualified’ or ‘over-specialised’.

  • There is a mismatch between the skills employers are looking for and what PhD students and graduates think employers are looking for.

  • 80% of jobs listing PhD-level skills don’t actually list a PhD as a qualification.

  • Despite higher enrollments and investments in postgraduate education, there is still a gap between the skills taught and those required by employers.

  • PhD students and graduates need to develop the skills to articulate their experience and strengths for employers in different sectors.

  • With many PhD students and graduates carving careers outside of academia, it is important to develop skills to succeed in a diverse range of careers not just academic ones.

If this information resonates with you, then you are in the right place. Careers with Clarity is about helping people create the time and space to become clearer about where they want their career to go…and why.

We offer tailored 1:1 and group career counselling to help you reflect on your career trajectory, reveal gaps in motivation, identity, networks, and transferrable skills in order to create a plan that will help you reach your career goals.

Our approach is tailored specifically for PhD students, ECRs and academics who are thinking about making a change or need to recalibrate their career path.

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Want to learn more about what we offer?

We provide a free 30 minute no obligation chat to discuss how we can best support you

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If you have a specific question or a general enquiry send us an email below.

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How we help

  • “I came into the session confused and lacking direction and left feeling like I had the tools at my disposal to test what I truly wanted to do”

    Shaz S.

  • "Kristi listened to the ramblings of an unsure person who knew change was needed but wasn't sure what shape that change should take. She helped me work the first steps out. "

    May C.

 FAQs

  • Careers with Clarity supports anyone who is thinking about making a career change. We specialise in helping PhD students and early to mid-career researchers who are thinking about a moving away from academia.

  • Our 30-minute session will involve discussing your current career path, identifying your vision and goal(s), and what career changes you have been considering. It will help you understand what to expect if you partner with us for career counselling.

  • We accept credit card (MasterCard or Visa) when purchasing products directly from our store. Installment payments are available for all of our career programs, giving you the flexibility to split your investment into smaller, regular payments.

  • Personal career counselling sessions are conducted online via Google Meet. Sessions can be conducted by telephone. We run regular face-to-face group workshops where you can meet people who are also on a career development journey.

  • Yes. We are here to work with your personal career development timetable and life schedule.

*Where the information comes from.

  • Mewburn I, Grant WJ, Suominen H, Kizimchuk S. A Machine Learning Analysis of the Non-academic Employment Opportunities for Ph.D. Graduates in Australia. Higher Education Policy. 2020;33(4):799-813.

  • Department of Health and Aged Care. (2024). The Australian Health and Medical Research Workforce Audit.

  • Ta B, Hoang C, Khong H, Dang T. Australian PhD graduates’ agency in navigating their career pathways: stories from social sciences. Higher Education. 2024;88(4):1525-45.

  • Muurlink O, Chen LA, Boorman R, et al. Stakeholder perceptions of what industry wants from doctoral students: a systematic literature review. Higher Education Research & Development. 2024;43(4):952-65.

  • Chen LA, Mewburn I, Suominen H. Australian doctoral employability: a systematic review of challenges and opportunities. Higher Education Research & Development. 2024;43(2):298-314.

  • Nguyen HTL. Australian doctoral graduates’ career transition from academia to industry: the PCAP internship competence framework. Studies in Higher Education. 1-15.

  • Skakni I, Kereselidze N, Parmentier M, et al. PhD graduates pursuing careers beyond academia: a scoping review. Higher Education Research & Development 2025; 1-20.

  • Wider, Walton, et al. Employment trends among postgraduate students: a bibliometric analysis. Asian Education and Development Studies 14.5 (2025): 1126-1154.