Are you wondering what to do with a Ph.D.? Is it hard for you to find jobs in academia?
In her book The Professor Is In, Karen Kelsky offers invaluable guidance for Ph.D. holders navigating the challenging academic job market. Kelsky, drawing from her extensive experience, provides practical strategies for scholars looking to transition their skills and knowledge into non-academic careers.
Discover how to leverage your doctoral expertise, identify transferable skills, and embrace entrepreneurial opportunities as you explore alternative career paths beyond the ivory tower.
What to Do With a Ph.D.
Recognizing the declining likelihood of obtaining a permanent academic appointment, Kelsky offers insights and strategies to assist scholars in leveraging their academic knowledge for success in non-academic professions. She advises that you accept the fact that academic career opportunities are limited, identify skills you can transfer to other fields, and develop entrepreneurialism. If you’re wondering what to do with a Ph.D., consider her following advice.
#1: Accept That Academic Career Opportunities Are Limited
Kelsky highlights the disproportionate nature of the academic employment landscape, where the limited availability of tenure-track positions stands in stark contrast to the abundance of individuals holding Ph.D. degrees, thereby intensifying the difficulty of pursuing an academic profession. In addition to seeking tenure-track roles, you should also explore professional opportunities beyond the academic environment. Prioritize financial stability, managing debt, and building savings. Kelsky underscores the significance of choosing academic positions that align with personal ambitions and warns against becoming overly entrenched in the conventional ways of academia.
#2: Identify Transferable Skills
Numerous students pursuing advanced degrees are coming to terms with the challenging reality that they may need to explore professional opportunities beyond the academic sphere due to the scarcity of permanent professorial roles. Advocating for the formation of unions could be an effective approach to combating inequitable treatment of adjunct faculty.
Kelsky implies that you can maintain your independence by changing your everyday routines—irrespective of the professional trajectory you choose, be it within academia or other sectors of specialization. Despite initially feeling shame and encountering disapproval from colleagues, she recounts the personal satisfaction gained from selling jewelry at a local farmer’s market, indicating that you can indeed find contentment in pursuits that aren’t connected to scholarly work.
As a Ph.D. graduate, you should reconceptualize your self-image by emphasizing the broad range of abilities you’ve developed as you move into a non-academic employment area. Kelsky underscores the necessity for you to distinguish your competencies from your scholarly persona and evaluate the applicability of these competencies across various non-academic positions.
It’s important to expand your view regarding career paths that aren’t limited to academic settings and consider additional education as a means to fill any skill gaps for roles outside of academia.
#3: Develop Entrepreneurialism
Individuals with doctoral degrees possess the ability to shape their own professional paths by engaging in entrepreneurial activities. Pursuing a career outside the conventional sphere can result in personal satisfaction and the acquisition of new abilities. Kelsky is adept at guiding individuals through various academic career paths, emphasizing the viability of different professional journeys.
Academic endeavors typically engage with theoretical ideas, while business ventures often yield immediate and tangible satisfaction. Academics should consider valuing work independently, without the need for validation from traditional academic institutions. You might do well to vigorously pursue career ambitions that you previously disregarded, while recognizing your broad spectrum of transferable skills.
