Planning is key.
Why early career development education for PhD students is important*
Most importantly, because most PhD students don’t start considering their post-PhD career early enough. Only 12% of PhD graduates have worked with a career specialist while broadly most wish they engaged in their career planning earlier.
Australia now produces over 10,000 PhD graduates each year.
Around 50% of STEMM and nearly 70% of HASS PhD students aspire to work in academia but only between 25-40% of graduates work in academic roles.
Career development education is not integrated into most PhD programs and evidence suggests programs are not providing students with the skills needed to construct and thrive in their careers.
80% of advertised jobs listing PhD-level skills don’t actually include a PhD as a qualification.
With many PhD graduates carving careers outside of academia, it is important to develop skills needed to succeed in a diverse range of careers.
If this information resonates with you, then you are in the right place. Careers with Clarity is about helping PhD students create the time and space to become clearer about where they want their career to go…and why. We focus on exploring career trajectory to identify strengths and reveal gaps in motivation, networks, and transferrable skills.
We offer tailored 1:1 career development education and small group workshops to help PhD students plan their career development during candidature to prepare them for successful careers both inside and outside of academia.
Want to learn more about what we offer?
We provide a free no obligation chat to discuss how we can best support you.
Looking for simple information and tips to get your career planning started?
Download our free infographic - Setting yourself up for career success.
How we help
*Where the information comes from.
Lauchlan, E. (2019). Nature PhD survey 2019 [Report]. Shift Learning. https://collegedoctoral.ubfc.fr/wp-content/uploads/sites/41/2020/06/Nature_PhD_survey_2019_Report_v1_1.pdf
Spronken-Smith R, Brown K, Cameron C. Retrospective perceptions of support for career development among PhD graduates from US and New Zealand universities. Studies in Graduate and Postdoctoral Education. 2024;15(3):273-89.
Department of Education. (2021). Award course completions pivot table [Data set]. Australian Government. https://www.education.gov.au/higher-education-statistics/resources/award-course-completions-pivot-table
Hoang, S., Ta, B., Khong, H., & Dang, T. T. D. (2023, May 15). Australia has way more PhD graduates than academic jobs. Here's how to rethink doctoral degrees. The Conversation.
Pham, T. (2023). What really contributes to employability of PhD graduates in uncertain labour markets? Globalisation, Societies and Education, 21(4), 435–446.
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.
Lane, M., Dooley, K., Cavu, K., & Jaatinen, E. (2025). Aspiration versus outcome: The career intentions of PhD students in an Australian university. Studies in Graduate and Postdoctoral Education. Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print.
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.
Skakni I, Kereselidze N, Parmentier M, et al. PhD graduates pursuing careers beyond academia: a scoping review. Higher Education Research & Development 2025; 1-20.