non-ac Archives - Beyond The Tenure Track

If not academia, then what?

fatimahphd2018-10-02T02:29:29+00:00January 31st, 2014|Tags: alternative careers for academics, alternative careers for PhDs, applied jobs for PhDs, career development for PhDs, career transition, careers for PhDs, careers outside academia, careers outside the academy, humanities PhDs, informational interview, non-ac, nonacademic careers, professional development, quitting academia, what to do with my degree|

*Disclaimer: I'm writing this post on the go so I will return later to fill out the piece in a subsequent post. I've gotten lots of questions about career exploration (aka, how do I know what I'd do outside the academy). Chances are if you've been in academia for years you are not very familiar with sectors outside of education. Heck, most PhDs don't really consider education beyond higher ed and the professoriate. So when you get curious about what else you'd do besides becoming a tenure track professor, the options ahead can look unclear at best. If you've asked "if not academia, then what?", you are really asking a question about how to determine which career or job is right for you. There may be no one "right" career or job for you. However, when exploring your options you want to [...]

How Do I Transition to a NonAcademic Career

fatimahphd2014-01-09T17:40:27+00:00January 9th, 2014|Tags: alt-ac, careers outside of academe, non-ac, nonacademic careers, nonfaculty careers, nontenure track careers, postacademic careers, professional careers for PhDs|

http://youtu.be/AUvUBEYd-Rc Fatimah Williams, Ph.D., CEO and Founder of Beyond the Tenure Track, speaks to students at CUNY Graduate Center. We discussed strategies students can take to prepare themselves for the possibility of careers outside the academy throughout their graduate career. Students remarked that a number of the strategies presented would also help them be more highly sought after scholars and job candidates for academic positions. And you probably notice from the opening, that I like to have fun with my presentations and workshops. :-) For more info, contact fatimahphd@gmail.com www.beyondthetenuretrack.com (Videography and editing by Nancy Musinguzi, nancy.m.musinguzi@gmail.com.)

How to present yourself to employers

fatimahphd2018-10-02T02:29:29+00:00December 5th, 2013|Tags: alt-ac, alternative careers for PhDs, non-ac, nonacademic careers, nonacademic careers for phds, post-ac|

Yesterday, I participated in a cool Twitter chat led by Jennifer Polk - @phdtolife - on the subject how academics talk about themselves to employers and nonacademic audiences. Academics from ABDs to postdocs to tenure track professor weighed in with questions and comments on positioning and branding. You can check out the Storify compilation here sfy.co/fX5p or you can follow the entire Twitter chat by searching for hashtag trend #withaPhD. Some of my tips from our chat: Don't lead with "I have a PhD in..." - This type of introduction quickly derails any introduction or interview. Your listener begins to focus on your degree rather than the skills, interests and values you bring to the position. The conversation can go down a deep rabbit hole really quickly, especially if you have not learned to quickly describe your research in terms that nonspecialists find [...]

If not academia, then what?

How Do I Transition to a NonAcademic Career

How to present yourself to employers

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