  About two-third of Physics PhDs establish careers outside of academia and the
national laboratories in areas like Software, Instrumentation, Data Science,
Finance, Healthcare, Journalism, Public Policy and Non-Governmental
Organization. Skills and knowledge developed during HEPA (High Energy Physics
and Astrophysics) research as an undergraduate, graduate or a postdoc level
(collectively called early career) have been long sought after in industry.
These skills are complex problem solving abilities, software programming, data
analysis, math, statistics and scientific writing, to name a few. Given that a
vast majority transition to the industry jobs, existing paths for such
transition should be strengthened and new ways of facilitating it be identified
and developed. A strong engagement between HEPA and its alumni would be a
pre-requisite for this. It might also lead to creative ways to reverse the
"brain drain" by encouraging alumni to collaborate on HEPA research projects or
possibly come back full time to research. We motivate and discuss below several
actionable recommendations by which HEPA institutions as well as HEPA faculty
mentors can strengthen both ability to identify non-HEP career opportunities
for students and post-docs as well as help more fully develop skills such as
effective networking, resume building, project management, risk assessment,
budget planning, to name a few. This will help prepare early career HEPA
scientists for successfully transitioning from academia to the diverse array of
non-traditional careers available. HEPA alumni can play a pivotal role by
engaging in this process.
