Sometimes I stumble on my words when I speak to audiences about why graduate students should prepare for multiple career paths, not limited to the tenure track.  It’s not that public speaking makes me tongue-tied, but that I have not settled on a simple term for non-tenure track careers that satisfies.  After reading several articles about alternative academic (or, alt-ac), nonacademic, postacademic, non-tenure track, applied, and professional careers for PhDs, I have not settled on language that best suits the complexities of this seeming dichotomous relationship of being employed by a university to teach and research, or not.  Perhaps, the “right” terminology eludes me because as one who has shifted from pursuing an academic career to working outside the academy, I know that the challenge is larger than semantics and terminology.

A determined set of careers, usually those involving teaching and publishing on scholarly research in contingent, temporary or tenure track roles, can be categorized as “academic careers.”  It usually includes those job functions related to teaching and publishing on scholarly research, be it as a contingent, temporary or tenure track faculty member.  You typically do not choose your job location, function, salary range or job search timetable, instead you develop subject matter expertise and then search for the few schools that are looking for candidates your expertise at your particular professional level (i.e., assistant professor, postdoc).

Career paths

Career paths

“Nonacademic” careers, however, represent a vast world of career paths and opportunities often not defined by a singular predetermined track, as are academic careers. This requires a greater deal of reflection, assessment and research to narrow down the vast field of potential careers to a couple viable paths that make sense for you given your interests, values and skills. If you have not held a professional job prior to graduate school, this concept of a vast world of career opportunities may be novel and downright fear inducing.  Fear not my fellow PhD Career Seekers, while nonacademic careers represent a broad range of fields, there are a several key tracks that work functions are organized around within these fields.  As you begin to focus on a field or a core set of functions you can narrow the vast world of “nonacademic careers” down to a manageable list of potential career prongs to pursue.  So the next time you hear me at a public presentation or read a blog post, I may use any combination of the available terms to talk about careers outside the academy.  I rather focus my energy on helping you navigate the complex emotional, practical and effort-intensive process of landing in a new career.

Facebook Comments