What international PhD researchers taught me: career choice beyond ambition

PhD student Solomon Sekyi reflects on his research into the employability of international doctoral researchers and why what feels possible can matter just as much as ambition.

As a doctoral researcher, I have become increasingly interested in how career decisions are made at the transition from PhD to work. Through listening to international doctoral researchers and recent graduates, I have come to realise that career choice is rarely just about identifying what you want and working steadily towards it.

Doctoral researchers are often encouraged to think about careers in terms of ambition, planning and choice. We are told to clarify our goals, build our profiles and move deliberately toward the future we want. Yet my research revealed a more complex reality. Career decision-making is often shaped less by preferences alone and more by what feels realistic, sustainable, and possible.

This topic matters to me not only as a researcher but also as a PhD student immersed in conversations about uncertainty and pressure after the doctorate. For many doctoral researchers, the question was not simply, What job do I want? They were also asking, What kind of future can I pursue from where I stand now?

When feasibility comes before preference

One of the strongest patterns in my research was that participants tended to assess feasibility before desirability. This meant first working out what was available, reachable, legal or sustainable, and only then refining what they felt able to want.

For some, these judgements were shaped by visa rules and salary thresholds. For others, they reflected labour-market uncertainty, limited access to sponsorship, or pressure to secure stability quickly. In these circumstances, preferences did not disappear, but they became conditional. Desired futures still existed, but they had to compete with urgent questions of security and timing.

Importantly, this was not a story of low ambition. Many participants expressed strong interests and clear aspirations. What changed was not their drive, but how those aspirations were revised in relation to what felt feasible.

These findings also challenged how I, as a researcher shaped by existing employability literatures, have understood employability. We often frame employability as a matter of skills, confidence or preparedness. Yet participants’ experiences suggested something else: many are not simply choosing between options but trying to build a viable life within constraints they did not create.

Career choices do not happen outside everyday life

Another recurring theme was the extent to which career decisions were shaped by life beyond work. Participants spoke about family expectations, care responsibilities, financial pressure, emotional strain and the need for stability.

Some felt unable to wait for a “dream job” because their circumstances required immediate income. Others assessed roles not only by status or fit, but by whether they would allow them to support family or create a more liveable future. These accounts are a reminder that career choice never occurs in a vacuum. A pathway may look appealing on paper, but if it involves prolonged uncertainty or an unsustainable way of living, it may stop feeling viable in practice.

This is why I have found it useful to think in terms of employability preference rather than employability alone. The issue is not only whether someone can obtain work, but how they judge which kinds of work are worth pursuing, given the conditions of their real lives.

What this means for institutions shaping early-career pathways

These findings carry important implications for universities and business schools. Training, professional development and skills recognition are valuable, but they are only part of the picture. For many international doctoral researchers, career development is shaped by broader structural conditions, including immigration systems, uneven access to networks, labour-market uncertainty and limited visibility of alternative career routes.

Employability support, therefore, needs to move beyond encouraging preparedness alone. It must also acknowledge the conditions that shape what preparation can realistically lead to. More honest conversations about work, mobility, sponsorship and insecurity would help, as would stronger mentoring and clearer guidance through transitions that are often unequal.

Rethinking what career compromise really means

One of the most important lessons I have taken from this research is that compromise does not necessarily signal reduced ambition. Sometimes it represents a thoughtful response to constrained circumstances. At other times, it reflects responsibility and care. Seen in this light, revised preferences are not simply about settling for less. They often reflect adaptation under pressure while continuing to move forward.

Supporting doctoral researchers well means moving beyond the idea that career choice is simply about following passion or choosing the right plan. Sometimes, preferences themselves are shaped by what life allows. Recognising this may be the first step towards a more realistic and compassionate conversation about employability.

About Sekyi Solomon

Solomon Sekyi is a third-year PhD student in the Department of Work, Employment and Organisation. His research explores how international doctoral researchers and recent graduates make sense of their employability during the PhD-to-work transition, particularly how their sense of what is possible, sustainable, and realistic can reshape the futures they see as worth pursuing.