The Career Network: Non-Academic Careers for Ph.D.'s

Nonacademic Careers for Ph.D.'s

CAREER TALK
Switching Sides
For Ph.D.'s who can't find, or don't want, a teaching job, but would like a career on a campus, what are the options?

FIRST PERSON
When an Engagement Specialist Calls
A temporary stay-at-home dad, faced with the prospect of starting his job search, begins to rethink the temporary part.

FIRST PERSON
The Chairman's Dog
A graduate student gets more than he bargained for when he pet sits for his department's grand pooh-bah.

FIRST PERSON
The Search Is Over
It took him more than two years, but a Ph.D. in political science has finally found good work in the nonacademic world.

FIRST PERSON
The Academic Path to Hollywood
You, too, can guide famous filmmakers through the thickets of historical or scientific accuracy.

FIRST PERSON
Maybe Virginia Woolf Was Right
A nonacademic job had seemed the best way to find money and a room of her own. Now a Ph.D. in comparative literature has doubts.

BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER
Lessons for the Academic Introvert
A former vice president begins his search for a nonacademic job and finds himself less than prepared.

CAREER TALK
Inside the Hiring Process
A look at how a Ph.D. in the humanities shifted gears to become a graduate-career counselor, and why she was hired.

BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER
The Dentist and the Oracle
Once you realize you're unhappy in academe, the question becomes what to do instead.

FIRST PERSON
The Truth about the Nonacademic Job Search
Be prepared to lose your friends, your mentors, and your sense of self-worth.

BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER
Common Job-Hunting Blunders
Understanding the small differences between academe and the outside world can show employers that you understand the big differences as well.

FIRST PERSON
Not Dead Yet
Ready to give up on academe, a trailing spouse manages to resuscitate her career.

FIRST PERSON
From Financial Aid to Fatherhood
After 12 years in student services, an administrator temporarily takes on a new role as a stay-at-home dad.

BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER
Speak Up, Shake Hands, and Smile
Two career counselors offer a primer on business etiquette for Ph.D.'s looking for jobs outside academe.

BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER
Goodbye, Ivory Tower
A roadside meltdown marks the beginning of the end of an academic career.

BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER
'But I Have No Skills'
For Ph.D.'s considering nonacademic careers, the biggest stumbling blocks are insecurity and a colossal underestimation of their transferable skills.

THE TWO-YEAR TRACK
Why History Needs the M.A.
The master's degree is not just a cash cow or a consolation prize. It's the key to improving history education for all.

BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER
Getting Paid to Eat
It turns out that a Ph.D. in Baroque Spanish theater can lead to a career as a food critic.

BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER
This Pen for Hire
A Ph.D. in musicology has found a way to pay his rent as a freelance copywriter, without mortgaging his integrity.

BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER
The 'Happy' Question
He had a teaching job in a field he loved. His plays and papers won awards. Who wouldn't be happy, right?

FIRST PERSON
The Search That Wasn't
A Ph.D. in chemical engineering who planned to search for a nonacademic job instead becomes the trailing spouse.

BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER
A 'Nonacademic' Career in Academe
Why are intellectual status and respect given so grudgingly to Ph.D.'s who take staff and administrative positions?

BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER
Should You Finish?
Leaving graduate school without a Ph.D. in hand does not make you a failure. It may, in fact, be the smart move for you.

FIRST PERSON
In Recovery
An academic librarian finds a new job and says goodbye to years of petty politics.

FIRST PERSON
Pushing the Big Red Button
Frustrated by the shaky job market in music, a Ph.D. is ready to take drastic measures.

FIRST PERSON
A Matter of Degrees
Academic librarians, concerned about the integrity of their profession, want to keep humanities Ph.D.'s from flooding yet another job market.

BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER
Outside, Over There
The best hope for improving graduate education is coming from Web sites and forums that focus on alternative careers for Ph.D.'s.

CAREER TALK
Devising a Plan B
Two career counselors offer advice on how to conduct a dual search for both academic and nonacademic positions.

BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER
A Ph.D. and a Failure
The narrow definition of success in academe is directly to blame for the high rates of depression among doctoral students.

FIRST PERSON
Suspicious Minds
As a Ph.D. applying for positions at academic libraries, expect to face more than a little wariness from your would-be colleagues.

BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER
Questioning the Promise
Has the alternative-careers movement unwittingly sold humanities Ph.D.'s yet another professional pipe dream?

MS. MENTOR
Sometimes You're the Problem
Not everyone is cut out for the academic grind, and Ms. Mentor salutes those who realize it and move on.

FIRST PERSON
A Change of Heart
An engineering Ph.D. moves further and further from an academic career. But does that mean his doctorate was a waste?

BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER
Coffee in 2002, a Job Offer in 2004
Networking works, says a former academic turned consultant. It just takes a few years.

BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER
Joining the Club
A Ph.D. in the humanities who took a corporate job wonders, Was I lucky or did I sell out?

CAREER TALK
From CV to Résumé
Two graduate career counselors offer advice on how to transform your CV into a strong résumé.

BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER
Covering the Bases
An academic librarian advises Ph.D.'s interested in that career on how to enhance their marketability.

FIRST PERSON
On the Nonacademic Market
A Ph.D. in chemical engineering begins her search for a career somewhere outside the ivory tower.

BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER
Breaking Into Publishing
Former academics talk about the key ingredients to a successful career at an academic press.

FIRST PERSON
On the Market
A Ph.D. candidate in engineering prepares to give science-policy work a try.

BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER
Breaking the Spell
How a Ph.D. in history finally resisted the lure of the academic job market.

FIRST PERSON
Measures of Success
Torn by indecision over whether to work in academe or industry, an engineer finally finds a position that feels right.

BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER
Square Peg, Round Hole
A Ph.D. in literature tells how he transformed himself into a freelance science writer.

ADJUNCT TRACK
Selling Your Skills
Good teachers are hard to find -- and continuing-education programs will pay for them.

BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER
Freelance Fumblings
For a Ph.D. turned freelance writer, things got much worse on his way to a business model.

BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER
Work or Finish?
Should an A.B.D. take a corporate research job before completing his degree?

FIRST PERSON
Loss and Opportunity
As a Ph.D. in political science moves closer to leaving academe, it is his nonacademic career options that seem narrow and specialized.

BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER
Jobs in Publishing
While Ph.D.'s can find satisfying careers in publishing, they will also find relatively low pay and limited openings.

BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER
Lessons Learned
Armed with few contacts and more education than any reasonable person needs, a Ph.D. in Spanish faces the nonacademic job market.

BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER
Getting a Real Job in Publishing
A Ph.D. in history finds her dream job as an acquisitions editor at a university press.

FIRST PERSON
Library Careers
A campus librarian offers advice on how to pursue a career in academic libraries.

BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER
The Federal Government Is Hiring
But is it a good fit for new Ph.D.'s, or for those leaving an academic career?

FIRST PERSON
Searching for My Future
Like many a former academic before him, a Ph.D. in ecology gives management consulting a whirl.

BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER
Finding Nonacademic Work Overseas
Bored with academe, a Ph.D. finds her niche in the international division of a large corporation.

BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER
Should I Go to Law School?
Two former graduate students talk about why they abandoned academe for the legal world.

FIRST PERSON
Never Mind
An assistant professor who thought about quitting academe has a change of heart.

BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER
Know Thyself
Here's what a "personality test" can tell you about your career options, and what it can't.

CAREER TALK
Feeling Stuck?
So, you're unhappy working in academe, but unable to leave? You're not alone.

FIRST PERSON
On the Market
A Princeton Ph.D. in ecology decides that an academic career is not what he thought it was.

BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER
Back to High School
After giving up on the academic job market, a Ph.D. finds a satisfying career teaching at a private secondary school.

FIRST PERSON
Becoming a Librarian
After years of fruitless hunting for a faculty job, a Ph.D. in English finds his niche.

BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER
Library Careers
A new fellowship program opens an alternate route for Ph.D.'s into the academic-librarian profession.

BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER
Cappuccino Dreams
You've just quit the tenure-track job for which you've trained your entire life. Now what?

FIRST PERSON
Pinch Me
A Ph.D. in history is thrilled to finally be on the tenure track, but unexpectedly attached to the freelance career that kept him afloat.

FIRST PERSON
Excess Baggage
Am I finally ready to throw out my old boxes of dissertation data, wonders a Ph.D. who has abandoned academe?

BALANCING ACT
Dr. Dad
A Ph.D. in chemistry finds that his training in academic science helps him as a father.

BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER
Ready to Start Over?
A Ph.D. who left the academy only to return offers a few questions that she's learned to ask herself in making career choices.

FIRST PERSON
On the Market
Unsuccessful on the academic market, a history Ph.D. turns to consulting, but he's not giving up on academe quite yet.

BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER
Dizzy With Options
For a Ph.D. considering alternate careers, the possibilities are endless. Hence the nausea.

CATALYST
Giving Back
Even scientists who don't like kids can find ways to share their expertise with the next generation.

BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER
What Else Can I Do?
A career counselor for Ph.D.'s answers that and other frequent questions on nonacademic jobs.

BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER
The Ph.D. as Temp
For Ph.D.'s trying to break in to a new career, temping can be a powerful job-hunting strategy.

CATALYST
Working in a Government Lab
Working in a national lab gives Ph.D.'s the chance to do research without teaching obligations, but it's not for everyone.

FIRST PERSON
So Why Are You Really Leaving?
An assistant professor leaves a plum job and her colleagues wonder: Is it the tug of family? Divorce? Is it us?

BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER
Nonfaculty Jobs
For Ph.D.'s who don't want -- or can't find -- a faculty job, satisfying work in academe is still possible.

BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER
Giving Up a Good Thing
An assistant professor explains why she is leaving a plum tenure-track job for an unknown future outside academe.

BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER
Leaving a Faculty Job
The right way to leave a tenure-track job -- and it does happen -- depends on whether you're leaving academe for good.

FIRST PERSON
Breaking the News
A Ph.D. candidate in biology screws up her courage and finally tells her advisers she doesn't want a career in academe.

FIRST PERSON
The Alternative Teaching Market
A Ph.D. in English, unsuccessful on the academic market, finds himself a hot candidate at a job fair for private schools.

FIRST PERSON
Profits and Learners
After an abortive foray into the academic market, a history Ph.D. candidate tries his hand at for-profit education.

BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER
Making Connections
To get started as a freelance writer you need to build relationships and then pitch articles like crazy.

HUMANITIES AT WORK
Writing for Corporations
How Ph.D.'s in the humanities have put their doctoral experience to work writing for corporations.

BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER
Alternatives to Adjunct Work
Instead of low-paying adjunct work, should you consider a job outside academe while you hunt for a tenure-track post?

BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER
Your Secret Desire
Why do so many academics secretly want to be freelance magazine writers?

BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER
Doing What You Love
Susan Basalla offers a few strategies for how to put the do-what-you-love philosophy into practice.

HUMANITIES AT WORK
Joining the Suits
A sociologist describes her transition from academe to the pharmaceutical industry.

BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER
Off the Bench
Science Ph.D.'s who want to leave academic research can follow a variety of paths to the business world.

HUMANITIES AT WORK
Get a Plan
You need a solid plan for your professional development, even if you don't know how you plan to use your Ph.D.

BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER
Freelancing
Susan Basalla offers tips on becoming a successful freelancer, whether your business is writing or dog-walking.

HUMANITIES AT WORK
Academe and Activism
A Ph.D. finds that an internship on a reservation confirms her belief in combining scholarship with social activism.

BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER
Off the Bench
For science Ph.D.'s disenchanted with the discovery process, the decision to leave the bench can be difficult.

THE FUND RAISER
Reviewing Candidates
After 10 years of evaluating the résumés of fund raisers, Mark J. Drozdowski offers his take on what works.

HUMANITIES AT WORK
Careers in Educational Consulting
How to break into consulting, and what to expect when you get there.

BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER
Cover Letters
Advice on how to write a cover letter for a nonacademic job search.

FIRST PERSON
Outside the Academy
A doctoral student finds that her job in the real world offers an academic ideal that the academy itself rarely delivers.

HUMANITIES AT WORK
Selling Scholarship
Ph.D.'s in the humanities see career benefits -- both scholarly and financial -- in jumping on the bandwagon of cultural tourism.

BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER
Starting at the Bottom
Should a Ph.D. entering the nonacademic job market for the first time expect to start anywhere but at the bottom?

FIRST PERSON
Consultant for a Day
A doctoral student tries out the world of consulting in an all-expenses-paid trip to a tropical paradise.

HUMANITIES AT WORK
Making a Difference
A look at four doctoral students who put their scholarly abilities to work in the public interest.

FIRST PERSON
Rethinking Consulting
A doctoral student in the biological sciences chronicles his search for a nonacademic job.

BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER
When It Doesn't Work Out
It seemed like a good job when you took it, but what do you do when it turns out it isn't?

HUMANITIES AT WORK
In the Public Sphere
Academe has adopted the rhetoric of public service, but scholars -- especially young ones -- are under enormous pressure to retreat from it.

FIRST PERSON
Out of Academe
After seven years of fruitless searching for a tenure-track job in the history of science, Chris Cumo is calling it quits.

FIRST PERSON
Lousy Writers
Many academics write poorly, says James M. Jasper, because no one ever tells them to work on their writing.

BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER
Working for Uncle Sam
Landing an internship with a federal agency is often the easiest route to beginning a government career.

HUMANITIES AT WORK
Humanities Careers in Museums
Learning on the job how to present a collection that appeals to Saturday strollers and serious scholars alike.

BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER
Laid Off
Let go from an Internet company, Susan Basalla tells Ph.D.'s what to expect when a pink slip arrives.

FIRST PERSON
The Pleasure of Publishing
No longer an academic, Kevin Walzer found a way to engage with his discipline -- poetry -- by becoming a publisher.

HUMANITIES AT WORK
A Responsive Doctorate
Finding sound ways to make the Ph.D. more relevant to the world beyond academe is the focus of a new program.

FIRST PERSON
On the A.B.D. Track
Brian C. Shipley needed to finish his Ph.D, but he also needed money. It was time to get a real job.

BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER
The Relevance of a Ph.D.
Ph.D.'s who work outside academe reflect on what they learned in graduate school.

HUMANITIES AT WORK
If They Had It to Do Over Again
Here are some tips on career planning compiled from a national survey of doctoral students.

FIRST PERSON
Lessons of a Career Fair
A campus career fair proves a gold mine for young, job-hunting engineers, except for those with Ph.D.'s.

CAREER TALK
Giving Up
You've searched for an academic job for three years with no luck. When is it time to move on?

BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER
Will You Be My Mentor?
Ph.D.'s seeking nonacademic work need mentors too. Robin B. Wagner offers tips on how to find one.

FIRST PERSON
A Future in Consulting?
Donny Wong, a doctoral student in biology at Harvard University, makes a foray into the world of management consulting.

BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER
The One-Year Plan
Here's how to organize your last year of doctoral training so that it ends with a Ph.D. and a new job.

HUMANITIES AT WORK
Freelance Careers
How two Ph.D.'s have put their graduate training to use in freelance careers in films and television.

FIRST PERSON
On the Verge
Donald Trent, a doctoral student in biomedical engineering, considers whether to leave academe as he begins a diary of his job search.

BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER
Negotiating Salary
Ph.D.'s entering the nonacademic work world can usually negotiate higher salaries than they are actually getting. They need only ask.

FIRST PERSON
Epiphanies
A Ph.D. in animal sciences learns that being a scientist does not give him a leg up in hunting for a job as a science writer.

BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER
From Humanities to High Tech
Why an assistant professor of French gave up a tenure-track job for a high-tech career.

HUMANITIES AT WORK
The Year of Full Employment
The job outlook for humanities Ph.D.'s doesn't have to be grim. Robert Weisbuch of the Woodrow Wilson Foundation offers a different vision in a new column that begins this week.

BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER
Careers for Ph.D.'s in the Association World
Gwendolyn Bradley outlines career options for Ph.D.'s in associations.

Also see:

Beyond the Ivory Tower
What you should know about nonacademic careers for Ph.D.'s.

Humanities at Work
Guidance from the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation on careers for humanities Ph.D.'s.

First Person
Firsthand accounts of Ph.D.'s on landing jobs and working in academe, or outside the ivory tower.