ripperoni pepperoni

I've heard of PhDs struggling to find employment outside of academia because they're "overqualified" (which is HR-speak for "we offer shit pay") but surely it can't be that bad... right? Right?!
- It really depends on what you specialized in and what you want to do. If youre in engineering and your university gets funding from a company, can be an easy path to employment.
  That said, in general, the type of person who wants a phd doesn't always have the same mindset as someone who doesnt. A big part of engineering in practice is realizing when you have enough information to make a decision and how to quickly and cheaply obtain that information, and that doesn't always align with the work scope that gives the best information.
- It is that bad. Not an impossible challenge but you have to learn whole new skill sets too. And adjust your mindset radically
  
  Omg you're making me freak out. I had to quit academia a year and a half ago (after 7 years of postdocs) and, after a bad experience in the private sector (techy start up bitch who was just plain insane), I've been struggling for 10 months to find a new path and a job...and I'm still nowhere near finding something I'm afraid.
- I've heard the concern that employers are worried someone with a PhD who is taking a "lesser" job won't be around all that long and will continue job hunting for something better. For employers with this mindset, I'd like to suggest: 1) it's not too hard to beat academia wages; 2) find ways to promote within/add responsibility when people prove themselves
  
  I know, JFC, talk about looking a gift horse in the mouth.
  Anyone who can pound sand straight up their own ass for many years and stay focused enough to produce a product sufficient to graduate will be an amazing asset in most any setting.
- Depends on your field and thesis.

that's the trick. don't start your PhD in acadamia

All I know about phds is my mother is 'all but dissertation' and that my mother's husband must have done a dissertation at some point because he has a doctorate I'm pretty sure.

It took me eights after my phd exam to escape from academia, so this brings back memories. Thank you.

Postdocs get paid a lot though ours get like $11k a month for math
- The NIH postdoc rate and therefore academic standards in most places for all biomedical postdocs is ~60k. Math is an outlier by a lot.
  
  I guess they have to compete with the financial sector and the likes? Over here, it varies wildly by field and by what you do.
- I volunteered a fair bit at my college’s food pantry. The undergrads might grab one or two things. The grad students and the post docs were desperate.
- You gotta compare this to standard industry pay for this level of education