This paper is prompted in particular by the recent exhibition, Making Use: Life in Postartistic Times (curated by Sebastian Cichocki and Kuba Szreder, Museum of Modern Art Warsaw, 2016). Exemplifying the userological turn, many of the 120 practices showcased here reinvigorate the axiom of the historical avant-garde, which holds fast to the value of art as emerging from its integration with life. This usefulness also marks the practice of the London-based collective, ASSEMBLE, who won the 2015 Turner Prize for their work at the intersection of art, architecture and design. In a concomitant development, PhD programmes are undergoing pressure to prove their worth. As public funding for non-STEM subjects dwindles, there are fewer and fewer opportunities to pursue art research in universities. This requires that doctoral programmes in this field radically rethink their approach to ensure that, in keeping with their duty of care, they prepare candidates effectively for the realities of life post-PhD. This includes working outside of institutions of art and/or education and beyond the cultural sector.