Pivoting From Academia to the Private Sector With Terence Milstead [Rerun]

Beyond the Thesis With Papa PhD

In this last stretch of season 5 of Beyond the Thesis with Papa PhD, I am bringing you another treasure from the Papa PhD vault – my great conversation with Terence Milstead, during which he laid out his complete blueprint for a successful career transition from academia into the private sector.

Throughout the episode, Terence shares the strategies he used himself, along with the story of his experience pivoting out of his academic career, so be sure to have pen and paper if you are in the process of planning your own transition!

Terence Milstead received his Ph.D. in Urban and Regional Planning in 2008 from Florida State University where his research was focused on factors that influence people to invest time, money and emotional energy into upgrading their dwellings, even in unstable housing markets. This question led him to the former Soviet Union on a Fulbright and subsequently to other parts of the globe. But it also ignited a deep interest in qualitative research and the power of deeply listening to others.

After completing his Ph.D. Terence started down the academic career path. However, after a few years he realized that a full-time career in academia was not what he had envisioned. So, in 20014, he transitioned to private sector, research-based consulting, relocating to the East Coat. But the path from academic to private-sector consultant was a crooked one and didn’t happen overnight. In this episode Terence shares how he came up with a transition plan that ultimately led him to his current position as Head of Qualitative Insights at a global strategic consulting firm based in Washington D.C.

Thank you, Terence Milstead !

If you enjoyed this conversation with Terence, let him know by clicking the link below and leaving him a message on LinkedIn:

Send Terence Milstead a thank you message on LinkedIn!

Click here to share your key take-away from this interview with David!

This episode’s resources:

• Terence Milstead | Facebook
• Terence Milstead | Linkedin
• Terence Milstead | Website

You might also like the following episodes:

Martha Boeglin – Unlocking Your Thesis Writing Super Powers

Albertha Joseph-Alexander – Using Scicomm to Make a Difference

David Giltner – Reconciling the Research and Development Mindsets

Natalia Bielczyk – Figuring Out Where You Fit in the Job Market as a PhD

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