Research on doctoral education and postdoctoral career paths has been evolving to combine analytical focuses involving doctoral education learning structures, the relationships set during the duration of the PhD, the relevance of environmental learning conditions, and the possible job venues upon completion of the degree (e.g, Belavy et al., 2020; Dericks et al., 2019; Bao and Kehm, 2018). This study follows this trend and understands doctoral candidates as agents that create and shape their preferences based on their evolving abilities and experiences during the PhD (Fox and Stephan, 2001). It also understands that previous educational and life experiences that may have imbued them with expectations concerning the PhD degree and possible career perspectives from the start (Horta, 2018). This presentation analytically summarizes the finds from several interviews made to doctoral candidates based at leading universities in Macau and Hong Kong, which are situated in the Pearl River greater bay area, perceived to have the potential to become the world’s future Silicon Valley. Preliminary findings from the interviews show that initial motivations to start a PhD remain strong despite different learning experiences, and for some students, the initial goal to start the PhD to become academics remains unchanged despite their ability increase in competencies that may afford them to work in non-academic settings. A preference for research-oriented jobs tend to be prevalent, and this is one of the key factors that makes a preference for academia to be desirable when compared to a career in other sectors of activity. The preference for academic jobs becomes stronger when associated to other two key factors: a preference for work autonomy, freedom, and flexibility, associated with a career that guarantees stability. It can be argued that the preferences of these students are informed by a large higher education system that is fast developing, still with universities having a relatively poor qualified academic staff, and continuously posting vacancies. However, based on existing literature, we argue that these rationales are more generalizable. Equally relevant, is that the interviewed students place careers and career preferences above any family or relationship considerations. This may be culturally and socially driven and more of a characteristic of East Asian societies.

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