Grad School Femtoring: Inclusive Grad School Stories, Personal Development, and Productivity Tips for First-Gen BIPOCs · A podcast on thriving in graduate school for first-generation BIPOC students, offering insights on academic success, career development, mental health, and navigating diversity and inclusion in higher education.

359: What Comes After the PhD? Career Design and Life Beyond Academia with Dr. Gertrude Nonterah

·52 min·3 clips

A PhD is a container for skills, not just a subject title.

1. Grad School Femtoring episode 359 focuses on what comes after the PhD and life beyond academia. 2. Dr. Yvette Martinez-Vu hosts Dr. Gertrude Nonterah, who earned a PhD in microbiology and immunology at Lewis Katz Temple University School of Medicine and founded Bold PhD Consulting. 3. The episode asks what career design looks like when tenure-track jobs are limited and non-academic pathways feel unclear. 4. Nonterah says she decided to speak publicly after a postdoc ended when funding ran out and an entire lab was laid off in May 2018. 5. She describes a long unemployment stretch from May 2018 until January 2020 and says that period pushed her toward science writing and medical communications. 6. She recalls entering graduate school with little intentional career development and few spaces that actively discussed non-academic options. 7. The guest argues that many PhDs were sold a "half truth" that hard work alone leads to being chosen. 8. She contrasts that academic pattern with the work world, where effort does not always map onto hiring or promotion. 9. Her definition of career design centers on taking charge of a career instead of waiting to be picked. 10. She says the first tool in a career toolbox is the degree plus the transferable skills and knowledge inside it. 11. She uses her own lab training in mice, tissue processing, and quantitative experiments to show how a PhD can translate beyond one specialty. 12. The second tool is networking, which she defines as relationship building rather than slimy card exchange. 13. She gives a LinkedIn example from her own connection with Dr. Yvette Martinez-Vu to show how low-pressure conversations can lead to opportunities. 14. She also recounts a UC San Diego HR conversation about professor hires usually needing a recommendation from someone inside the school. 15. Another example she shares is a company internship story where knowing someone reportedly raised hiring odds from 21% to about 70%. 16. The third tool is showing your work, which she demonstrates through LinkedIn posts, freelance science writing, and sharing articles publicly. 17. Her tone is candid and practical, with repeated examples, personal anecdotes, and direct advice. 18. The interview style is conversational and supportive, with the host asking follow-up questions about resumes, networking anxiety, and skills translation. 19. PhD students and postdocs planning a career beyond academia would likely benefit most from this episode. 20. Listeners wanting a narrative or technical-methods discussion may skip it.

As heard by us

A grounded, practical conversation for PhDs facing what comes after graduation.

It treats life after the PhD as both a career problem and a personal shake-up, which feels right. The discussion makes room for fear, grief, shame, and panic when the academic path turns out to be narrower than expected, then settles into practical advice: lean on skills instead…

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You need a real plan for what comes next after the PhD.

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