When most of us think of further training, we don’t usually consider Higher Degree Research. Because PhDs are just for people looking to become academics, right?

Actually, you might be surprised. Over half of the PhD students surveyed in the 2019 report ‘Advancing Australia’s Knowledge Economy: Who are the top PhD employers?’ said they hoped to work in the business or public sector after graduation.

The report notes that 19 out of the 20 largest ASX listed companies now have PhD graduates among their senior executive teams and points to growing demand in the private and public sector for the deep knowledge and analytical skills that HDR graduates can provide.

University Librarian Belinda Tiffen’s research passion led to her completing a PhD on the socio-political context of poetry in the English Civil War period.

And while her career path has taken her in a different direction, she says she still uses the skills she gained in her research degree almost daily.

“Research training prepares you for reading and thinking critically and analytically, absorbing and synthesising large amounts of information quickly, communicating and problem solving,” Belinda notes.

“Having skills like judgement, problem solving and communication are an advantage in any industry or profession – employers are all looking for these kinds of ‘soft skills.”

Belinda was one of four PhD-qualified professional staff members at Macquarie who have shared their career stories on the HDR Professional Development iLearn page.

If you’re interested in finding out where research training could take you, register for Master of Research Info Week. Webinars are being held from 12 to 15 October across all four faculties.