CEO Helps PhDs Navigate Career Transitions

Name: Ashley Ruba (she/they)

PhD: Developmental Psychology, University of Washington, 2019

What was your main area of research?

I studied emotion learning in preverbal infants (10- to 18-month-olds). How do babies learn to understand and respond to emotion cues, like smiles and frowns?

What is your current job?

I am the CEO/Founder of After Academia LLC based in Seattle, Washington.

I started a business to help other PhDs navigate career transitions out of academia. As a solopreneur, I am responsible for everything, including product development, sales, and marketing.

Prior to starting my business, I worked as a UX Researcher and a Human Factors Engineer for 3 different companies, including Meta.

Running a business has given me everything I loved about academia - freedom, flexibility, and challenge. It's the hardest and most rewarding thing I've ever done for my career.

All PhDs have an entrepreneurial spirit, and many would enjoy running their own business.

How did you find this position? What were the career steps you took to get to where you are now?

I created it after talking with 100s of PhDs about their career struggles. I saw an opportunity to develop a service that helped others through a difficult moment in their lives.

PhD graduate ➡️ NIH T32 postdoctoral fellow ➡️ UX Researcher ➡️ Human Factors Engineer ➡️ CEO/Founder

Why did you decide to not pursue a career in academia?

I gave everything to my academic career, and in return, academia destroyed my mental health. I grew tired of academic politics, lack of work-life balance, and not being able to choose where I lived.

In many ways, leaving academia was the only choice I had. But it was also a difficult choice, because I enjoyed my research, and my research program was very successful. It felt like I was abandoning my field and my mentees.

What advice do you have for someone getting their PhD and looking to pursue a career outside of academia?

Get on LinkedIn! Connect with me and other PhDs who have made this transition. Your network (not your resume) is the most powerful tool in your job search - start building it now.
Reflect on what you want out of life. Most PhDs (including me) skip this step, but reflecting on your skills, values, and interests will help you choose the career you'd like to try next.
Most PhDs know nothing about the business world, and it shows. Once you've selected a target career, start learning. Listen to podcasts, read blogs, and learn business lingo ("stakeholders", "XFN teams"). Your PhD won't get you a job, but your marketable skills will. Your ability to learn is your most marketable skill.

Are there any components of your identity you would like to share, including how they have impacted your journey?

For 2 years after leaving academia, I struggled in all of my industry roles - that's when I learned that I am Autistic+ADHD. Getting my diagnosis at age 32, after studying developmental psychology for over a decade, was a shock. I'm still processing what it means to be neurodivergent and how this impacts my career long-term.

I'm also queer and a first-generation college student, which added to the otherness I always felt in academic spaces. Academia wasn't built for scientists like me.