Cultural changes need to stop PhD students working for free

It’s easy to present career stories as a series of events that happen one after the other: found a job, gained useful skills and experience, moved on to a new job. However, few careers proceed that smoothly. New opportunities rarely come up exactly when you need one. This might not be so bad if something exciting comes up sooner than you feel ready for – it can be the push you need to realise your full potential. However, it can be pretty frustrating if you find yourself stuck waiting for a better (or any) job offer, especially if you endure several rejected applications in the process.