Leeds Ram

This is what My Son does, Worked in London now works from home in Derby, He collects Data for the advertising industry, A customer will ask where is a good place to advertise their product...he then researches all forms of media outlets, Figures show the best outlet would be radio...the company then sells the info on.
This is for Leeds Ram...not sure how up to date it is...but looking costs nowt
https://www.totaljobs.com/jobs/data analyst?cid=SEA_BG_UK-TJ-DIS022-GEN--E|[B]_c_data analyst-employment-|JBT0029-GEN006-_data analyst employment_RL_RSA3&loc_interest=&loc_physical=41689&s_kwcid=AL!7101!10!77515740867326!77515791498475&ef_id=f60d6a3ba3bc18fe617909ae179907e6:G:s&msclkid=f60d6a3ba3bc18fe617909ae179907e6

True the lack of reciprocity from Coventry was terrible. That Birmingham game will always stick in my head though. Both clubs undergoing boardroom problems, a massive march from the city center to the ground and a full house on sky should have provided the perfect setting for a joint expression of anger towards our owners and the EFL. Instead, the vast majority became increasingly classless singing joyously at the possibility of our extinction in what was an emotionally charged day. 

The way coventry and birmingham fans acted during our crisis was beyond grim. You expect that kind of behaviour from Forest fans but the aggression and glee involved from both those lot means they have lost all sympathy with me. 

True the lack of reciprocity from Coventry was terrible. That Birmingham game will always stick in my head though. Both clubs undergoing boardroom problems, a massive march from the city center to the ground and a full house on sky should have provided the perfect setting for a joint expression of anger towards our owners and the EFL. Instead, the vast majority became increasingly classless singing joyously at the possibility of our extinction in what was an emotionally charged day. 

Thanks for the recommendation ? and GCHQ i think did come to our campus recently so you're not wrong on their graduate search ?

Thanks for the advice I'll definitely take it on board ?

Thanks for your post I really appreciate it ? Yeah, academia is slow in terms of task management. So, I'll always have a lot on my plate even post viva I've still got teaching, reviewing a paper, writing up a paper and a substantial marking load but you have weeks/months to do these things. I'll definitely keep what you've said in mind re start ups ?

As a older bloke my advice is follow your heart. I know you think you are already old at 29 but you have 40 years of work before you. The bigger pay doesn't usually fully compensate the work if it isn't your ideal job. Besides you can be pretty sure that with your background you will get a lot of chances in the future as long as you keep yourself open to different options. 
Don't stress too much on the fact that you don't have your life lined up until you are retiring. Things will change constantly and you should just enjoy all your achievements as you go and you have already achieved a lot.

True the lack of reciprocity from Coventry was terrible. That Birmingham game will always stick in my head though. Both clubs undergoing boardroom problems, a massive march from the city center to the ground and a full house on sky should have provided the perfect setting for a joint expression of anger towards our owners and the EFL. Instead, the vast majority became increasingly classless singing joyously at the possibility of our extinction in what was an emotionally charged day. 

The way coventry and birmingham fans acted during our crisis was beyond grim. You expect that kind of behaviour from Forest fans but the aggression and glee involved from both those lot means they have lost all sympathy with me. 

AH, the crossroads! Thwse pop up in your life ever so often. It can be damn stressful, yet the openness to possibilities can make it exciting as well. Are Oxford Scholastica or The Brilliant club using RMP profiles? If not, that could be helpful. It surely helped me and so much so that I went to certify myself to RMP coach as well. It's easier to make career decisions when you're better aware of your own needs, but obviously doing such profiles cost a bit.

I hope you can handle the stress of not having the clear path. It'll come clearer as long as you can give it some time. I'm having a bit different background but personally I took the approach of having multiple smaller income streams and it suits me perfectly as I'm interested in various different topics. If you're more of an idealist, I think the academia is very good option, but the key parts of it, teaching and research, can be done in business as well. For example big companies are paying some serious money for good researchers.
Good luck figuring out what to do and where! If you want to know more about RMP, check this one https://www.reissmotivationprofile.com/ and obvs I'll try to anwer if you have more questions.

Interesting dilemma you have there @Leeds Ram. It's a shame acedemia isn't as paid as well as other industries, but I guess it's supply and demand.
For example, there definitely seems a shortage of data analysts around these days. Recently I've seen average junior data analysts with about 2 years experience move into more senior jobs on about 60k in London.
Ideally you would land into a well paid job that utilises your rich knowledge. But I definitely think your background could suit many roles, where the company is looking for diversity of experience.
Maybe look for a startup, where they just want intelligent people to cover lots of different activities. 
I work with a couple of people who were in Academia (the were in computer science) and they both seem to enjoy the pace and impact of a business, vs the often slowness of their previous positions.

I think you will definitely hit against an issue with your being in academia for so long, certainly with career oriented jobs as some employers may think you will not be committed to a new career after preferring academia until now. . If you really want to take step out of academia maybe consider a step back into a less well paid job, so then at least you may seem a grafter as well as clever. Truth is I don't really know , but good luck whatever  you do.   

Feel for you, sadly it doesn't get any easier as you go on. I'm a good few years past you and much of what you wrote resonates. What would I say? Keep shooting, if you don't you won't score. And when you don't score, do remember there are so many people out there the one thing it can't be is personal. But, above all else, go for what feels right. You won't see many headstones in the cemetery saying "wish I'd followed the company line'

Nowadays a broader CV is more desirable. Branching out now and again is good. 
whatever you do, concentrate on what you can offer them. Just think what you’d enjoy and start looking there. It’s very true that if you do something you love you’ll never work a day in your life. 

To my shame, that bold bit is the only bit I feel qualified to comment on, as Muckerette had one of those when we met, and yes, it was very handy having a girlfriend with a car, as I was a single parent at the time.
To be fair, the rest went whooshing straight over my head, but I hope it goes without saying that I wish you the very best of luck, sir, in whatever path you choose.  ? 

GCHQ always on the look out for clever graduates 

Don't piss your boss off, be excellent (occasionally), have a sponsor

@Leeds Ram
What about the Civil Service you have the academic background but perhaps youre too young to give up work ?

I know this may come across as totally random but am at a total crossroads career wise and am looking for advice. I've now finished education (BA, MA, PhD) in Politics with my specialism in Political Theory and Middle Eastern Studies. I've got 4 years tutoring behind me both at the University as well as with private organisations such as Oxford Scholastica and The Brilliant Club as well as presenting at a dozen conferences in the two years I was applying including  PSA and Brismes (considered leading conferences in my field of study).  My viva went really well and the external examiner said  my thesis as it was rich, original and inventive and he recommended I turn it into a monograph.  
However, I'm just totally unsure what to do now. Academia is the natural route for me but it is becoming hyper competitive defined by stagnant wages, very long hours and a total lack of security. During my PhD I've had to prioritise work that paid (despite this have written a book chapter and have 2 journal articles under review) so my cv is less hot on written material so that can be an uphill struggle. However, I've got no idea what to do outside of this field. I've been for a couple of interviews that I felt went really well but have been told no and felt that the only sticking point in the interview was the PhD itself. Additionally, moving fields at my age (29) means I'll be starting at the bottom as I've got 0 experience of working outside of academia.
So to finally get to the point I'm just wondering if anyone had any advice about what to do about all of this. I've got no clue as to what to do and it's really playing on my mind. Especially as my gf has almost finished her architecture degree and we'd like to move in together at some point soon so time is now becoming a factor as well. 

thanks for your advice ? I'm going to try and do a bit here and there if i can't find anything ? 

The way coventry and birmingham fans acted during our crisis was beyond grim. You expect that kind of behaviour from Forest fans but the aggression and glee involved from both those lot means they have lost all sympathy with me. 

That game was there for us to win i think. We just sat back and tried to soak up the pressure until it told. Yes Dobbin could and should have wrapped the game up and we had some chances via low crosses into the box but once again it was far from inspiring. The substitutions were nothing short of odd and change in shape didn't have the effect we wanted. Yes we always struggle at Burton but this was 2 points thrown away

Thanks for your advice will deffo take it on board ?
 
I did ask for specific feedback but didn't get any. One further sticking point could have been I was unwilling to immediately give up my teaching at the university due to the inconvenience to the uni of filling my slots. But I was honest about this and said I'd be happy to make up the time at the weekends as it is not uncommon for me to work 6 or 7 days a week. 
I will definitely have a think about showing that  I am one to stick around 
 

I think @Unlucky Alf makes some good points about interviewers not wanting to interview people smarter (or, no disrespect intended,  more academically qualified) than themselves. Having said that, you did get to the interview stage so this may not be the case. Did you ask for specific feedback?
I think what most people mean when they say "over qualified" they probably mean they're not sure you're going to stick around long and are only looking at the job as a stepping stone to something bigger and better. If you fear this may be the case for any future interviews you get, you might need to think about how you can convince them you're planning to stick around even if you're not really ?.