Envisioning Possible Post-PhD Careers Outside Academia: An Exploratory Study of Two Chinese Doctoral Graduates’ Differentiated Experiences

Amid heightened positional competition in the graduate labor market, doctoral graduates’ progression into non-academic employment has become an emerging focus of concern. Drawing on the concept of possible selves, this exploratory study examines how doctoral graduates envisage and plan for their post-graduation careers outside academia in the context of China. The study presents the narratives