How I Transitioned from Academia to Content Creation and Solopreneurship

This as-told-to story is based on a conversation with Kaidi Wu, a career coach who helps Ph.D. holders transition into industry. It has been edited for length and clarity.

About Me

Dr Kaidi Wu is a content creator and a coach, helping Ph.D.s navigate their career paths.

Before and During My Ph.D.

Choosing My Research Area and the Path to a Ph.D.

I got into my Ph.D. program straight after my Bachelor's, which took five years. I originally came to the U.S. for high school in New England, and my dream was to become a concert pianist. I applied and auditioned for music schools and got into the University of Michigan School of Music. At that time, I had no plans beyond music. I just wanted to do something I truly enjoyed. That was the whole point of coming to the U.S.

Then, everything changed when I picked up Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell while traveling in India. The book was about the psychology of success, and it completely shifted my perspective. I had already taken a psychology class as a degree requirement, and it had blown my mind. But Outliers made me think about questions that I had never considered—what leads to success, the role of privilege, and the environmental and situational factors that shape our lives. Psychology had the power to make you rethink everything, to challenge deeply ingrained beliefs, and to see the world in a new way.

So, I switched. I added psychology as a dual degree, extending my undergrad studies to five years. Michigan, though I didn’t know it at the time, was a hub for cultural and evolutionary psychology. I had so many inspiring women role models—people who could think and speak in ways that just captivated me. I wanted to be one of those people. I wanted a life where I could think all day, write all day, and run my own lab.

I threw myself into research, worked in multiple labs, presented at conferences—doing everything you’re supposed to do to apply for a Ph.D. program. When I applied, I got into all my top choices and ultimately decided to stay at Michigan.

Finding the Right Ph.D. Advisor

If there’s one thing that can make or break your Ph.D. experience, it’s your advisor. Nothing else comes close. Research shows that the biggest predictor of success after a Ph.D. isn’t your school’s prestige, your stipend, or your cohort—it’s your advisor.

In undergrad, it doesn’t really matter if you don’t get along with your research supervisor. You can just switch labs, no big deal. But in a Ph.D. program, your advisor is everything. Academia is extremely hierarchical: faculty come first, then postdocs, then grad students, and finally undergrads. Some labs are genuinely invested in mentoring students, but many aren’t.

It’s a misconception that the best advisors are at the most prestigious schools. Sometimes, the best mentorship happens in lesser-known programs where the advisor has an excellent track record of helping students succeed. A great advisor knows how to navigate academic politics, connect you with the right people, and actively mentor you. If you want to stay in academia, being in the right research network is crucial.

So how do you find the right advisor? Don’t just Google them. Talk to their current and former students. Ask about the hidden dynamics of the lab, the publishing culture, and how the advisor supports their students. The reality is, academia is a small world. In every subfield, there are only a handful of “big names” who dominate the space. You want to work with someone whose research is widely cited because that increases your own chances of success.

That said, some advisors are toxic, and some are neglectful. If you have to choose between an advisor with an amazing publishing record but a terrible personality versus a kind and supportive advisor with no research impact, unfortunately, you should still go with the former. You need to be in the right network. But ideally, you find someone who is both well-connected and actually cares about mentoring students. The only way to find that out is through informational interviews with their students or people in the field who know them well.

After My Ph.D.

Transitioning from Academia to Solopreneurship

I’m now a solopreneur and content creator. I run my own coaching practice, helping Ph.D.s navigate their career paths. But getting here was a struggle.

I spent five years applying for academic jobs while working for three different tech companies. I just didn’t want to leave academia. Industry never felt right to me. I hated building someone else’s dream, and I didn’t see the point of making a profit at the expense of ethics. A lot of companies operate in ways that didn’t align with my values, and I felt stuck.

Then I found Justin Welsh. It laid out all these alternative ways to make a living—you could become a digital nomad, start a business, or live on a mountain as a monk. That was when I realized I could create my own path.

At first, I didn’t even care about making money. I just wanted to have my voice out there. I started posting on Twitter and LinkedIn, talking about research and the things that interested me. Slowly, people started reaching out, asking for advice, and eventually, they were willing to pay for it. That’s how my business started.

Building the Skills for Solopreneurship

Solopreneurship is basically running a business by yourself. I was inspired by people like Justin Welsh, who turned LinkedIn into a profitable venture. Dan Koe’s philosophical take on the creator economy also resonated with me—he made me see that everyone has expertise to share, and there’s always a market for it.

At first, I was overwhelmed. I wanted to try everything—YouTube, TikTok, Twitter, Instagram. My business coach told me to focus on one platform and one content domain. I also made a hero’s list of people who inspired me and a tribe listof people just a few steps ahead of me. Tracking my progress and experimenting helped me figure out what worked.

It took a year of trial and error, but the joy I felt confirmed I was on the right path. Unlike corporate jobs, where intellectual freedom is limited, solopreneurship let me say what I actually thought. Over time, I learned how to build a business around my content, and things started to take off.

Advice for Current and Aspiring Ph.D. Students

Try the bubble map exercise. List out what’s important to you—career, family, hobbies, finances—and draw them in proportion to their significance. This exercise helps clarify what you actually want. Most people follow a default script—go to school, get a job, retire—but never stop to ask if it’s what they really want. If you don’t actively choose your path, you’ll just be swept along by what others expect of you. The key is to get clear on what truly matters to you and build a life around it.

If you want to stay in academia, look at the people who have made it. Do you want to be them? What did they have to sacrifice? Academia isn’t just about research—it’s about networking, publishing, and playing the political game. A lot of academics hate self-promotion, but it’s necessary. Whether you’re in academia, industry, or entrepreneurship, you need to make your work visible. No one will discover you by accident.

Contacts

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