From my personal interaction with PhDs, basically you have to leave the profession. I'm not kidding. I wish I was. Eventually you'll find a job that may be somewhat related to your interests, in "industry" as it's called, or you'll have to start out in the field where there actually are jobs for STEM graduates: Teaching.
Frankly, I've watched the cheapening happen for the past 15 years, and at first it was schadenfreude. Me, a person with a liberal arts degree, was having a really hard time getting my career going, getting a living wage - and even with a Masters, 10 years of solid work experience, references, technology skills and no piercings, tattoos or felonies. Basically I'm a textbook employee on paper, and it still took me something like 200 applications to "earn" my first career gig.
All the while, people in STEM put me down for having a useless degree. Well, after watching the 2000s tech bubble pop, watching H1-Bs come in and drive down the wage faster than 50 somethings trying to take any job they can just to keep up with their lifestyle (and thereby rob a 20 something of the chance to start gaining the requisite experience), I no longer take solace in how hard it is to be in STEM. It's a family thing now, but fortunately, my experience and my "take no bullshit, this is fucking business" attitude toward employment is very helpful.
I am a creative and intellectual mercenary. I fight for myself. I did not choose this path.
Frankly, I've watched the cheapening happen for the past 15 years, and at first it was schadenfreude. Me, a person with a liberal arts degree, was having a really hard time getting my career going, getting a living wage - and even with a Masters, 10 years of solid work experience, references, technology skills and no piercings, tattoos or felonies. Basically I'm a textbook employee on paper, and it still took me something like 200 applications to "earn" my first career gig.
All the while, people in STEM put me down for having a useless degree. Well, after watching the 2000s tech bubble pop, watching H1-Bs come in and drive down the wage faster than 50 somethings trying to take any job they can just to keep up with their lifestyle (and thereby rob a 20 something of the chance to start gaining the requisite experience), I no longer take solace in how hard it is to be in STEM. It's a family thing now, but fortunately, my experience and my "take no bullshit, this is fucking business" attitude toward employment is very helpful.
I am a creative and intellectual mercenary. I fight for myself. I did not choose this path.