In this episode of Exiting Academia, I sit down with a guest who moved from a PhD in Social Work into a role as a food security consultant. We talk through what it actually looks like to translate an academic identity into a mission-driven, applied career—especially when you still want your work to matter, just outside the university. I frame this the way I coach it: your degree is not your job title, and your research training is a toolkit you can redeploy in a much wider market than most grad students realize. I also focus on the practical side of the transition—how to communicate your value in non-academic language, how to position your experience for consulting, and how to build a clear narrative that connects social work training to food systems, policy, and community impact. If you’re feeling stuck between “I’m trained for academia” and “I want out,” this conversation is meant to give you a concrete example of what’s possible, plus the mindset shift and career strategy to start mapping your own next step.