For PhDs considering what comes after academia

Your PhD was neverthe destination.

You are not starting over. Turn your experience into a tested, credible next direction.

A practical guide to your next career move.

The PhD Pivot Playbook helps you explore roles beyond academia, identify what you need to learn and test a direction before committing.

Get the Playbook Look inside first

$49 USD introductory price. One-time payment, plus applicable tax.
Includes the 94-page PDF and editable My Pivot Record.

Not ready yet? Try the free Snapshot.

The free Pivot Snapshot

You want something to change.
Where do you start?

When academia is the career you know, it can be hard to see what comes next. The Snapshot helps you notice what feels difficult, what you can build on and what needs attention.

How you feel. What you bring. How you move forward.

Take the PhD Snapshot

Free · No sign-up · Allow around 10 minutes

Your Pivot SnapshotIllustrative example
Example Pivot Snapshot profileFictional self-ratings across nine areas. Value is stronger than Direction and Evidence in this example. There is no overall readiness score.EnergyConfidenceControlIdentityValuePossibilityDirectionEvidenceMomentum
A picture of where you are.
Not a score of your potential.

The REEL Method

Explore what’s possible.
Try it before you commit.

Reflect on what you want, discover possible roles and test what the work is like. Return to Explore and Experiment as often as you need before choosing a direction to pursue.

Discover how REEL works
Reflect extends into a loop of Explore and Experiment, before branching towards Leap. You can return to Explore and Experiment before choosing a direction.
Reflect · Explore · Experiment · Leap
A process to return to, not a straight line to follow.
The PhD Pivot Playbook PDF coverMy Pivot Record, the editable Word companion
Your guide + your own working record.
Two digital downloads. Both included.

The PhD Pivot Playbook

Turn “what could I do?”
into something you can test.

A self-guided career transition guide for PhDs and postdocs. Practical activities and worked examples help you:

  • Find roles worth exploring.
  • Explain your transferable skills with examples.
  • Test a direction and prepare your next move.
$49 USD

Introductory price · One-time payment
Plus applicable tax.

Look inside the Playbook

94-page PDF + editable Word companion

Brian Collier, founder of The PhD Pivot

Why I created The PhD Pivot

Built from a career of pivots, not a single perfect plan.

I left academia in 2007 without knowing exactly where the move would lead. Since then, I have worked across science funding, program and change management, consulting, digital transformation, and executive leadership in Silicon Valley.

Each move drew on something I already knew and required me to build something new. The PhD Pivot brings those lessons together with nearly a decade of mentoring PhDs through their own career decisions.

Brian Collier PhD MBA Founder, The PhD Pivot

Contact Brian

Your next step

Give your next career move
some time and a process.

The Playbook guides the work. My Pivot Record keeps what you learn.

$49 USD · Introductory price

Get the Playbook

Both downloads · No subscription
One-time payment, plus applicable tax.