Atonu Rabbani

I've officially ended my job search! While I'm not publicly disclosing the position until I start, I wanted to share some reflections in case they're helpful to prospective PhD applicants and current grad students. Ideally, I would have preferred a research-intensive role, but navigating a two-body problem limited me to major metropolitan areas. Public sector jobs at institutions like the OCC, OFR, and Federal Reserve would have been an excellent fit, especially since my research —at the intersection of machine learning, macro-finance, and counterfactual policy evaluation — has significant policy implications. Unfortunately, this avenue is effectively closed for the foreseeable future. Taking eight years to complete my PhD definitely hurt my interview performance, even after explaining the extenuating circumstances. Interestingly, only interviewers holding PhDs asked about it. This was particularly frustrating since many international students enter PhD programs with Master's degrees, resulting in similar total postgraduate education durations — even without major disruptions. Yet, academia loves such heuristics to infer productivity. While the clock resets post-PhD, assistant professors immediately face similar time pressures. For undergraduate students: major in computer science without hesitation. This background is valuable for virtually every industry and academic research position. Add math, statistics, or economics as secondary majors. While humanities are less directly marketable, incorporate these courses to enrich your personal and intellectual life. Students from less privileged backgrounds and elite institutions should start their careers in industry right after college. Early industry experience provides high-paying job opportunities and long-term career benefits. My industry experience directly helped me secure numerous interviews and ultimately my new position. Additionally, it provided substantial savings that proved invaluable when embarking on the financially risky path of a PhD. Being an RA at the Federal Reserve Board significantly boosted my job search. It provided brand prestige and relevant experience attractive to financial firms, plus a powerful alumni network helpful for referrals and interview progression. However, university RA roles with prominent faculty typically yield stronger academic placements. Thus, there's a clear trade-off to consider here. Americans should skip Master's programs unless finances aren't a constraint. Do I regret pursuing the PhD, given my challenging journey and eventual industry placement? Absolutely not, even though it was financially the most significant "mistake" of my career. Financially, I'd have been better off leaving with an MBA four years ago. However, precisely because of these economics, I believe institutions should loosen selection criteria for American students, even boosting direct undergrad-to-PhD pathways that have greatly diminished. I was surprised by how many international students entered doctoral programs without intending to pursue academic careers, a choice that makes economic sense given the substantial ROI for them. Industry employers care little about your research, even if it seems directly applicable. Expect numerous technical trivia questions rather than discussions of your dissertation. Preparing for these alongside your dissertation is challenging, particularly in tough job markets with slim margins for error. Anecdotally, candidates often rely on forums, job boards, or peer networks for advanced insights into interview questions (much like college exams). Internship interviews are less demanding and typically the best path toward full-time offers. For example, Amazon primarily hires PhD grads through internships and seldom interviews fresh PhD graduates directly. I applied to around 600–700 jobs through platforms like Greenhouse and Workday without tailoring my resume for each. These applicant tracking systems aggressively filter candidates by keyword, creating a challenging new reality where applicants must adapt strategically. While my job ultimately came through one of these platforms, my highest success rates came through networking, referrals, and unsolicited recruiter outreach. Despite its dangers and distractions, social media also helped me network and source new opportunities. I personally think white-collar professionals need to maintain a constant online presence and have solid personal branding for career success. I’m hoping to continue research and post original content to accomplish this. I’ve also embraced LLMs to refine my writing, despite the trade-off of losing some personal voice. I used it for this essay, and while the writing is clearer, it feels more bland and impersonal. I need to get better about iterating with LLMs to re-inject my voice. With academic research positions increasingly scarce, prospective PhD candidates and graduate students must strategically position themselves for industry careers. Proficiency in coding and data analysis is essential, alongside building a strong professional brand and extensive network. Balancing a rigorous research portfolio against industry preparation has become especially critical. If industry employment is your goal, pursue internships early and aggressively. Sorry for entering my Ackman era. I’m off to take up a racket sport now!