Careers beyond academia

As a newcomer to the community, Nature Astronomy covered regional and international scientific and societal issues, discoveries and advances in its first year. We anticipate an equally if not more exciting year to come.

Astronomers should not feel like failures for leaving academia — the multiverse is replete with engaging, satisfying and well-remunerated jobs that will value you, your education, your training and your unique skills.

From the PhD through several post-doctoral positions, to the few permanent academic posts, the selection processes determining who will populate the upper echelons of academic astronomy might not involve just merit, hard work or dedication.

An astrophysicist describes how he charted his course into writing and journalism — and how others could do the same.

A planetary scientist describes how she left the traditional corridors of academia to help found her own company, thereby continuing her research program and interests. The flexibility afforded by this break-away has been life-changing.

Leaving academia was hard, but becoming an editor for Nature Astronomy has been an unexpected delight. That is not to say it is a bed of roses; rather it is the variety and complexity of the challenges of the job that make it so enjoyable.

Education and public outreach has evolved from being part of a scientist’s duties into a distinct career path that is well-suited for astronomers. The ideal professional in this field has strong communication skills coupled with a broad research background.

After almost ten years in academia I took one of the best decisions of my life: to leave it. This is my experience transitioning from astronomy to data science in search of a more open, fast-paced working environment.

We asked the same five questions to eleven astronomers who now work in different fields in order to understand their career paths, their motivations to leave astronomy and the skills that helped them in their transition.