Career Paths after the Postdoc

Completing the postdoc phase opens a variety of career paths both within and outside academia. While many postdocs continue in research and teaching roles, others successfully transition to leading roles in industry, government, science communication, policy, or administration. The skills and expertise developed during the postdoc can be valuable in numerous professional fields, but gaining an overview over the various possibilities can be challenging. This overview is created to bring together a wide range of possibilities and opportunities for postdocs depending on their interests, skills, future vision and career stage.

Its purpose is to inspire reflection and exploration of the possibilities that emerge from the postdoc phase rather than serve as a definitive career-planning tool. Each postdoc is characterized by their individual interests, skills and qualifications and it’s not possible to generalize these to fit everyone. Thus, further research and individual investigation will always be necessary to find the right career pathway.

The structure of the overview is modular and adaptable, reflecting the fact that job roles and opportunities evolve over time. By combining concise descriptions with recognizable, visual cues, the tool helps you quickly grasp the nature of different roles, their environments, and their key characteristics. In doing so, it can support you in broadening your awareness, sparking new ideas, and navigating the next steps in your professional journey.

We started with an overview over different career options within Academia but aim to add other sectors over the time.

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Working in Academia in Germany after the Postdoc – What Does It Feel Like?

Academic careers in Germany are often described as both rewarding and demanding. Many value the intellectual freedom to pursue their own ideas, the chance to teach and mentor, and the creativity of research. At the same time, fixed-term contracts, dependence on external funding, and the rarity of permanent roles below professorship create uncertainty. For those who do achieve stability, increased administrative and managerial duties can limit time for research. Overall, the sector combines freedom, creativity, and community with insecurity, funding pressure, and high expectations.
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Explore the diverse career paths within German academia! Some positions are permanent, while others may have limited-term contracts. Many connections exist between these roles that aren’t shown here—for example, some people pursue a habilitation while working in industry, and others start as staff scientists before aiming for a professorship. Please note that this overview focuses on the German academic system, which may differ from those in other countries. This overview is meant to inspire and illustrate possibilities, not to provide a comprehensive or definitive list of career paths.

Working in Academia in Germany after the Postdoc – What Does It Feel Like?

Academic careers in Germany are often described as both rewarding and demanding. Many value the intellectual freedom to pursue their own ideas, the chance to teach and mentor, and the creativity of research. At the same time, fixed-term contracts, dependence on external funding, and the rarity of permanent roles below professorship create uncertainty. For those who do achieve stability, increased administrative and managerial duties can limit time for research. Overall, the sector combines freedom, creativity, and community with insecurity, funding pressure, and high expectations.

Explore the diverse career paths within German academia! Many connections between roles aren’t shown here—for example, pursuing a habilitation while in industry or starting as a staff scientist before a professorship. This overview focuses on the German system and illustrates possibilities rather than providing a complete list.

Want to help bring this Career Paths overview to life? Then join our Working Group Advocacy and help us define job profiles fitting for former postdocs.

This project was developed as cooperation between the WG Advocacy of the German Postdoc Network and Dr. Oliver Grewe, who designed and realized all visualizations.

Want to take the next step in your career but aren’t sure where to start? Explore our Career Tools, a growing collection of practical resources designed to support postdoctoral researchers in self-assessment, career planning, and professional development.

These tools can help you reflect on key questions such as: Where do I want to go? What are my strengths? Which skills do I bring? While they provide valuable guidance, we strongly encourage you to also make use of the support available at your research institute’s career center, graduate academy, or postdoc office. These institutions often have experienced professionals who can provide personalized advice and guidance, complementing the insights you gain from these tools.