Here’s a piece from Sociological Images on Debt, Time and the job market for humanities PhDs. And listen, don’t read it and get all depressed. Read it and use it as motivation to start executing your non-academic job search.
There’s also this piece in the New York Times, just so you know you’re not alone. Here’s an choice excerpt:
Dr. Pannapacker has rebuked graduate schools for perpetuating a culture in which unattainable academic careers are portrayed as the only worthwhile goal, and for failing to level with students about their true prospects. …
“Academe encourages students to think of what they’re doing as a special kind of calling or vocation which is exempt from the rules of the marketplace,” he says. Those who look to work outside the scholarly world are seen as rejecting the academy’s core values. “They socialize students into believing they can’t leave academe or shouldn’t, which is why they hang on year after year as adjuncts, rather than pursue alternative careers.”
So you know all those theories you learned in your degree about socialization and whatnot? While you were in grad school, you were being socialized to have certain beliefs around your employability (i.e. that you have a special calling to be a university professor, that that is the only worthwhile career goal, that the jobs are there for the smartest among us, etc.). Guess what? THEY WERE WRONG. So you know how you learned in school to buck the dominant paradigm, shuck off the shackles of normative social mores and question authority? Start doing that with these absurd beliefs about the professoriat being the only worthwhile job out there.
Leaving Academia is a resource for people who have left and are leaving a career as a university professor. I’m not selling anything here. Most posts are based on my own experience and that of other academic leavers that I have interviewed formally and/or met informally. It is purposely and purposefully oriented to graduate students and faculty who want a) to know they are not alone, b) to know that many, many, many people have left academia and found fulfilling careers, and c) to find out some of the tactics former academics took to make a significant career/life change.
Thus, the contents of this site are not comprehensive. My message about academic career change is that it’s incredibly difficult and totally do-able. There are those who disagree with this view, and won’t get much out of this site as a result. Fortunately, there are sites like the Leaving Academe forum at the Chronicle for those who have a different take than I do.
Disclaimer: The information on this site is for informational purposes only. I assume no liability for any inaccurate, delayed or incomplete information, nor for any actions taken in reliance thereon. Prior to making any career-based decision, it is recommended that you talk with real-life people who actually know you and your situation and have them weigh in on what you should do.
Ahem.
You can go through the material here in a few ways: by going through the monthly archives (on the left sidebar), clicking on the tags (specific topics I’ve covered, also found on the left sidebar), or by combing through the categories (the tabs at the top). The categories are:
- Academic Life – These posts provide snapshots of the reality of graduate education and university employment. They largely aim to validate the decision to leave academia, given the low number of good quality, full-time jobs available on university campuses.
- Career Planning – This broad category includes tools for job searchers that I’ve come across as well as career paths that often appeal to social scientists and humanities researchers (consulting, non-profit, knowledge mobilization, etc.). It is not a comprehensive, step-by-step process; if you’re looking for that, go to the library and get one of the thousands of career planning books out there.
- How To – These posts cover resume tips, networking strategies, dos and donts at interviews, and other strategies around visioning and job hunting.
- Inspiration – If you’re just looking for stories that will give you some hope and make you feel like you’re not the only person in the world who left an academic career path, this is the section you need. There are tips of the “you can do it!” nature in here, too, like information interviewing.
- Miscellany – Covers meetup announcements, quick links to resources, and other odds n’ sods.
- News – Hmm, it turns out that there isn’t a lot of news in this category! There are a few posts with links and resources, though.
- Podcast – Self-explanatory. These are just a handful of the interviews I’ve done with former academics.
I almost never create fresh posts anymore, due to having a pretty full life. I welcome comments, though, given that new readers land on the site every day, and they really benefit from multiple voices. But if you want to make sure you don’t miss any new posts, subscribe (yes, it’s free) up in the top right hand corner.
Most of all, I hope you take heart from the stories contained in this site. Leaving a life in the academy for parts unknown really is incredibly hard, but it really is totally do-able. Let me know how it goes!
There will be a meet-up of current and would-be academic leavers on Tuesday, May 4th at 7:00 pm at the Bean Cafe, 388 College Street between Bathurst and Spadina. Come out to meet other folks who have left and are contemplating leaving for some sympathetic ears, networking and support.
I know it’s short notice, but the next installment of the Leaving Academia meetup in Toronto will be held this Wednesday, March 3 at 6:00 pm at the Bean Cafe, 388 College at Bathurst. For anyone who hasn’t been to one of these meetings before, please flip me an email to let me know you’re attending: sabine [at] leavingacademia [dot] com.
Just wanted to let you folks in the life sciences know about a site I learned about this week called BioJobBlog, a blog that covers alllll kinds of career-related topics for bioprofessionals. It was started by a guy named Cliff Mintz, who got in touch with me to let me know about his site. Cliff has some big plans for catering to the postacademic crowd, so watch this space for further updates. Cliff is the guy behind Bioinsights, a company dedicated to training scientists moving into the private sector. He also let me know about a social media site called BioCrowd, which looks like Facebook for scientists and bioprofessionals.
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science,
web
Torontonians, in case you aren’t on my email list, we’re meeting tonight at 6:00 pm at The Bean, 388 College (at Bathurst). See you there!
It is a fact that, although I am very proud of my PhD, there are certain times when I do and don’t reveal that this is a designation I carry. When I’m applying for jobs, for example, I do NOT put “Sabine Hikel, PhD” at the top of my resume. To me, that would be like putting, “Sabine Hikel, Ponce” way up there (I do, however, note my PhD on the second page, under “Education”). But when I want to get a meeting with someone, for example, and I think they’d be more likely to meet with me if they knew my credentials, I’ll pop a “Dr.” in front of my name in my email signature file. Another example: when I had to order new cheques after I defended my dissertation, I made a point of changing the way my name appeared on my cheques to read “Dr. Sabine Hikel.”
One instance when I never, ever, EVER make reference to my credential is when I fly. There is absolutely no way I ever want to be on a plane when a flight attendant approaches me with an urgent medical emergency, and I have to ask if the person needs a political scientist to tend to them. When I book travel, it’s “Ms.” all the way.
Thus, I was thrilled to find this t-shirt over at ThinkGeek, courtesy of Anna over at ABDPBT (herself a former-academic-turned-blogger).
Don’t you have a smartypants in your life for whom this would be perfect?
Regardless of what kind of holidays you celebrate (or the clever gifts you give and receive), I want to wish all of my readers a happy and healthy holiday season (and tomorrow, I’ll be posting about the early Christmas present I got this year). Remember, if any of you are going to the MLA this year, I’ll be at the Inside Higher Ed booth on the 28th and 29th, answering any questions you have about the post-academic life.
Happy holidays, everyone!
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t-shirt
We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming due to the extreme shitshow going on in Copenhagen right now. Canadian readers–hell, American readers, pitch in, too!–if you care at all about Canada’s sullied reputation in the climate talks, and the fact that Prime Minister Harper is selling out the world’s interests for those of Alberta oil, please go sign the petition over at Avaaz. The number of hours left in talks are dwindling, and I just can’t believe what’s happening right now.
Torontonians and GTA’ers: come for another round of advice, support, accountability and idea-generation at our Leaving Academia meeting on Monday, December 14th. We’ll be meeting at The Bean (the cafe formerly known as Kahawa), at 388 College (just east of Bathurst). As always, if you don’t order something to eat and/or drink from the nice folks who run this independent coffee house, ye shall risk the wrath of me frowning at you disapprovingly.
Please RSVP with me if you will be attending: sabine [at] leavingacademia [dot] com.
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meetup
Attention, all MLAers! Thanks to the good folks at Inside Higher Ed, I’m going to be joining in on the English-language loving convention happening this year in Philadelphia. Come and find me at exhibitor booth 311 (where Inside Higher Ed will be bookended cozily by the Scottish Writing Exhibition) on the afternoon of December 28th and the morning of December 29th. I’m looking forward to discussing all matters post-academic with you!
Lest I forget about my own post-academic brethren who live in and around Toronto, we’re going to be holding another meet-up on Monday, December 14th at 7:00 pm. Due to increased interest in the meet-ups, I am on the hunt for an appropriate venue that can accomodate all of us. I’ll be announcing the location, then, closer to the time (and if you have any ideas of cheap/free, quiet locations, let me know!).
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meetup
