Beyond Academia‘s flagship 2025 conference once again provided participants with a wealth of knowledge and experience. Beyond Academia is a non-profit founded and run by UC Berkeley graduate students dedicated to empowering PhDs to expand their career options beyond the professoriate. This year’s conference, held virtually on February 27 and 28, drew over 1,200 registrants from more than 25 countries. Attendees included Master’s and PhD students, postdoctoral scholars, and faculty members not just from UC Berkeley, but from universities around the world. The conference’s objective was to provide graduate students an opportunity to learn about the non-academic career trajectories of people with PhDs and to gain important insights and skills for their own career exploration and preparation. Attendees learned about the current state of the job market, key transferable skills that PhDs develop in graduate school, and best practices for starting a non-academic job search. Both days of the conference kicked off with keynote addresses. On Thursday, Dr. Erica Machulak, founder of the Hikma Collective and author of the 2025 book, Hustles for Humanists, delivered the HSS keynote address. In her talk, Machulak discussed the myths surrounding imposter syndrome and “selling out.” She shared actionable advice on how to utilize the skills gained during graduate school to explore unexpected opportunities. Friday’s STEM keynote address was delivered by Dr. Vay Cao, founder of Free the PhD. Cao’s address focused on how to break down a job posting and identify key aspects that employers consider in the hiring process. She provided a concrete framework for how applicants can mine a job posting to tailor their skill sets and experiences in their resume, cover letter, and interview process to successfully navigate the hiring process. The conference also offered 10 industry-specific panels featuring over 45 speakers who have successfully pivoted from academia into a variety of roles across sectors. Popular panels included Jobs in Tech and Industry, Publishing, and Consulting. The conference also included seven skill-building workshops with experts in the field of professional development. Attendees learned how to develop and leverage their transferable skills in the job market with Andrew Green, expand their network and prepare for interviews with Rosanne Lurie and Alicia Roy, and negotiate job offers with Nicole Bannon. Karen Kelsky, author of the influential book The Professor is In and founder of The Professor is Out, offered a workshop on preparing for a non-academic career. A previous keynote speaker at the Beyond Academia conference, Kelsky returned to this year’s conference to discuss the art of translating academic experience into a non-academic resume or cover letter. Both days wrapped up with a virtual networking session, where attendees and panelists joined breakout rooms based on the different stages of their professional development. Attendees discussed everything from their first steps in career exploration to their current job searches. The annual Beyond Academia conference is the organization’s flagship event. However, the organization also hosts a series of other professional development events. In November 2024, Beyond Academia organized the annual three-part Professional Profile Clinic. The event consisted of a session on how to leverage your LinkedIn presence led by Rosanne Lurie from QB3 and one-on-one meetings with recruiters, during which participants received feedback on their resumes. The next day, participants also received free headshots from professional photographers. To learn more about Beyond Academia’s mission, as well as its future events, visit https://beyondacademia.org/. Information about the 2026 Conference will be available on the website in Fall 2025. If you’re interested in helping with next year’s conference and other Beyond Academia events, sign up to join the 2025-2026 Beyond Academia team. About the authors: Tiffany T. Tran is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Neuroscience and is currently serving as a Co-Director and Media Lead of Beyond Academia. Maria Almeida Reis is the Hitchcock Postdoctoral Fellow in the GradPro Office of the Graduate Division. Maria has a PhD in History and previously served as a Co-Director and the Logistics Lead of Beyond Academia.
Beyond Academia‘s flagship 2025 conference once again provided participants with a wealth of knowledge and experience. Beyond Academia is a non-profit founded and run by UC Berkeley graduate students dedicated to empowering PhDs to expand their career options beyond the professoriate. This year’s conference, held virtually on February 27 and 28, drew over 1,200 registrants from more than 25 countries. Attendees included Master’s and PhD students, postdoctoral scholars, and faculty members not just from UC Berkeley, but from universities around the world. The conference’s objective was to provide graduate students an opportunity to learn about the non-academic career trajectories of people with PhDs and to gain important insights and skills for their own career exploration and preparation. Attendees learned about the current state of the job market, key transferable skills that PhDs develop in graduate school, and best practices for starting a non-academic job search. Both days of the conference kicked off with keynote addresses. On Thursday, Dr. Erica Machulak, founder of the Hikma Collective and author of the 2025 book, Hustles for Humanists, delivered the HSS keynote address. In her talk, Machulak discussed the myths surrounding imposter syndrome and “selling out.” She shared actionable advice on how to utilize the skills gained during graduate school to explore unexpected opportunities. Friday’s STEM keynote address was delivered by Dr. Vay Cao, founder of Free the PhD. Cao’s address focused on how to break down a job posting and identify key aspects that employers consider in the hiring process. She provided a concrete framework for how applicants can mine a job posting to tailor their skill sets and experiences in their resume, cover letter, and interview process to successfully navigate the hiring process. The conference also offered 10 industry-specific panels featuring over 45 speakers who have successfully pivoted from academia into a variety of roles across sectors. Popular panels included Jobs in Tech and Industry, Publishing, and Consulting. The conference also included seven skill-building workshops with experts in the field of professional development. Attendees learned how to develop and leverage their transferable skills in the job market with Andrew Green, expand their network and prepare for interviews with Rosanne Lurie and Alicia Roy, and negotiate job offers with Nicole Bannon. Karen Kelsky, author of the influential book The Professor is In and founder of The Professor is Out, offered a workshop on preparing for a non-academic career. A previous keynote speaker at the Beyond Academia conference, Kelsky returned to this year’s conference to discuss the art of translating academic experience into a non-academic resume or cover letter. Both days wrapped up with a virtual networking session, where attendees and panelists joined breakout rooms based on the different stages of their professional development. Attendees discussed everything from their first steps in career exploration to their current job searches. The annual Beyond Academia conference is the organization’s flagship event. However, the organization also hosts a series of other professional development events. In November 2024, Beyond Academia organized the annual three-part Professional Profile Clinic. The event consisted of a session on how to leverage your LinkedIn presence led by Rosanne Lurie from QB3 and one-on-one meetings with recruiters, during which participants received feedback on their resumes. The next day, participants also received free headshots from professional photographers. To learn more about Beyond Academia’s mission, as well as its future events, visit https://beyondacademia.org/. Information about the 2026 Conference will be available on the website in Fall 2025. If you’re interested in helping with next year’s conference and other Beyond Academia events, sign up to join the 2025-2026 Beyond Academia team. About the authors: Tiffany T. Tran is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Neuroscience and is currently serving as a Co-Director and Media Lead of Beyond Academia. Maria Almeida Reis is the Hitchcock Postdoctoral Fellow in the GradPro Office of the Graduate Division. Maria has a PhD in History and previously served as a Co-Director and the Logistics Lead of Beyond Academia.