If you already have an adviser, the first question you should ask is “Is it worth the risk Put another way, what do you gain from telling your adviser? Bringing your adviser into the career conversation can give you another perspective. They could provide connections in particular industries. At the very least, it may be a weight off your shoulders to no longer feel you have a secret to hide.
At the other extreme, the conversation could go poorly. Some people will become upset if you share your nonacademic career plans. I have worked with many students facing this problem. Some of their advisers called them things like “immoral.” Other advisers told their students that they would receive less support and their thesis committees would be changed. A very unfortunate subset of students was forced out of the adviser’s research group, sometimes landing in another group and sometimes leaving graduate school.
If any of this is a possibility for you, look into your program’s policy handbook, check with the larger graduate school to learn about what protections they can offer, contact the campus ombudsperson for advice and reach out to other faculty members who have continued to mentor students who are not interested in a career in academe. If finishing a graduate degree is still one of your goals, it could be very risky
You may be unsure of how your adviser will react to the news that you are considering a nonacademic career. In that case, you can start asking questions to learn more about their views on nonacademic careers without revealing your plans. You can start by asking how many students they have graduated and where they are now. Even if they only mention students who have gone on to postdoc and faculty roles, you can contact those alums to gain their perspective on how your adviser may react to your news.
