I was inspired by Marcus Arvan's earlier call for strategies on how to deal with pandemic job market collapse, and I want to make some remarks on that from my perspective as placement director. Currently, I am the placement director at SLU, though all my remarks in this rather lengthy post (apologies) are made in a personal capacity and do not represent their official policy.
When I took on the role of placement director in 2019, my program was doing better than average in placing graduate students into permanent positions (see here for data), and we were doing better than many more prestigious programs in part because our graduate students frequently find their way into small, religious liberal arts colleges, and we offer a lot of training and mentoring on how to teach well (see the comments by grad students near the end of this post), which is particularly appreciated in small liberal arts colleges.
Nevertheless, even in these pre-pandemic happy times, and even in a program with an above-average placement in permanent positions, it was important to help students find a plan B (above average still means well above 40% of grad students do not find permanent academic placement within 5 years--we can't just neglect these people). The job market for academic tenure track positions took a nosedive in 2007-2008 and never quite went up to former levels (and was stable from 2013 t0 2019).
For this reason, in 2019 I also tried to help students prepare for the possibility of a non-academic career. This year, I have been more proactive on this front. Here are some easy, low-hanging fruit kind of things advisors, placement directors, etc can do to help their grad students deal with a collapsing academic market.
One easy thing grad programs can do is to help students prep for non-academic careers and provide structures just as they do for academic careers. Mock interviews, help with resumé building, cover letter help are all things that placement directors already do for academic jobs, it isn't a big stretch to provide this service for non-academic jobs. For example, we organized two mock interviews for a student who applied for a non-academic job that was also part of a university (but not a faculty position) with good job security, pay and benefits. The student received the job offer.
In addition, I think it's important to make students aware that an alt-ac job is a live option for them, that there are significant advantages to an alt-ac job, that it is not a consolation prize. Thus, I organized several sessions with my students this year on alt-ac possibilities, including one with a guest speaker (a philosopher with an alt-ac position who wishes to remain anonymous, who gave my students the honest talk about how little a professor in a tenure track position makes compared to what one can potentially make outside, and what they were making outside).
It is important to counteract stigma associated with alt-ac jobs, where professors still seem to assume that landing a livable non-academic job is something to be regretted, rather than celebrated. Thus I make a big deal out of all our placements, including alt-ac placements, which put both on social media and through our departmental channels (once the candidate is happy for me to advertise it). I also list all our non-academic placements on our placement spreadsheet, not just as "did not seek academic employment" but "Learning experience designer at Facilisgroup" and "Student engagement coordinator at St Mary's University" (two of our most recent non-academic placements).
I think that there is a lot of negativity and pessimism about what philosophy PhDs can accomplish outside of academia. This negativity is unhelpful, and needs to go. The thinking seems to be as follows: but you aren't trained to be a learning experience designer! You were trained to be a professor! The almost universal view seems to be that we are training people to be professors, and if there are fewer professor jobs, then most grad programs ought to simply disappear, maybe only the top-10 or so (the most prestigious) ought to exist. I disagree with these claims. We are training people with a lot of transferrable skills, but we aren't doing a good enough job yet to help students realize those skills and where to look for jobs. There are no courses where you can train to be a learning experience designer. So, for a job like this people with a degree in Education might come in, and it's true that a master's might be enough. But... a philosophy grad student can bring something really unique into the role. As a philosophy grad student in our program, you'll have designed and taught your own courses, you'll have been mentored on how to teach really deep, abstract content in a relatable way, you'll have learned how to assess it effectively. Similarly, philosophy grad students learn to organize events (conferences etc), learn to talk for large audiences (soon again possible, hopefully!), learn to network and be hospitable to senior guests, to write difficult and abstract content in a clear and transparent way, etc etc.
There are so many jobs where our skills come in handy. Sure, we aren't trained for those jobs, but any role benefits from different perspectives, and our perspective and experience as philosophy PhD is very valuable in a wide range of roles. I'd need almost a separate post to defend the legitimacy of grad education for philosophers even in a collapsing academic market, but suffice it to say here that negativity and overt pessimism about the prospects of grad students isn't helpful, you need to (as mentor etc) believe in their capacities and possibilities so they can believe in themselves too.
Finally, for those of you who are mentoring grad students, or for those of you on the market who want to think about alt-ac careers, please see the text below of a handout I used in a recent meeting with grad students.
The alt-ac/non-academic job market
By way of introduction:
It’s good to explore your options. Don’t think of looking at alt-ac jobs as “giving up” on academia. You can apply to both. Or, you can just go for alt-ac jobs right way. There is still an internalized stigma associated with alt-ac jobs. Some academics still think that one should only do it if one has no other options. And maybe you are only considering a non-academic position because of the bleakness of the market due to Covid-19.
That’s fair but I want us to think a bit about the alt-ac job market in a different light, namely as a serious alternative to academia in any case.
It’s possible that you decide academia’s not for you, having done it for 5 (or more) years. Maybe you don’t like teaching or research, or either. It would be surprising if everyone who went into academia would end up thinking teaching and research are the only meaningful jobs they can do.
Moreover, there are distinct disadvantages of the academic job market, including
- lack of geographical control (you need to be willing to move to a great many places, practically anywhere)
- lack of opportunities for spouse
- it often takes years + several relocations to get an academic job, which takes its toll
- the wages are often not as good as those of people in industry holding equivalent positions. Starting salaries at small colleges are often very modest, and merit or promotion increases are small (if existent)
- limited opportunities for growth and promotion (assistant -> associate -> full, that’s it)
- limited opportunities for finding another job once you are tenure track. Realistically, people either move at end of their tenure clock, or get senior job offer if rising star
- competitiveness and internalized guilt of academia often leads to unhealthy/lack of work/life balance and poor mental health. Many academics work all the time.
Note: I do not write these things to discourage you. Being realistic about the academic job market’s (very significant!) downsides helps you to better appraise your options. Definitely, if you want an academic job, go for it! I’m just saying it’s not for everyone.
Consider the upsides of a non-academic job
- If you like to work in teams, you probably have more opportunities in many industries compared to philosophy, which is very solitary. Working together on a project is fun and shares responsibilities, the highs and the lows
- More control of geography. Suppose you really want to live in Chicago (for e.g., family reasons). Bigger chance this will happen with an alt-ac job as you can cast a wider net and are not bound by the few openings at Chicago colleges and universities.
- More options to change jobs, promotion etc.
- non-academic work can have some remarkably rewarding and impactful outputs that we don't always get in Academia
Obviously, there are problems in other industries too!
How to prepare for the non-academic job market
In grad school
Develop some secondary interests/skills.
Note: you already have skills that are useful in many industries. Become aware of them! Bringing a complex project to completion (your PhD, any other projects), mentoring and teaching, presenting (making good presentations is hard!), organizing events, synthesizing lots of information, critical evaluation of that information etc. Be cognizant of these skills, so you can develop them outside of academia too.
Even so, I encourage you to do some side project. This is never a waste of time even if you do decide to become a full-time academic (e.g., I have done: advocacy, drawing/design, fiction writing, governmental advising, community service). A side project also helps guard against academic burnout. These don’t necessarily need to be tech skills, but if you want a clear plan B and have no special interest from the get-go, tech skills are a good idea and there are so many free courses (e.g., Python, data analysis..).
Be careful not to let it take over all your time. Consider the 80/20 rule. Spend 80% of your time on your academic career development, 20% of your time on developing the secondary interest. Find an interest that energizes you. Don’t worry too much about how good you are at it, important is just to expand your horizon.
Figure out what you like
This is so important. As Nicole Barbaro writes "Figure out what you actually like to do. I wanted to be a professor. That’s why I got my PhD. But what about the job did I actually like? I thought really hard about this. I liked project planning, writing, presenting, teaching, science communication. And, I liked the academic environment. Based on these things, I decided to pursue various academic and education roles, just not professorships. Universities are huge and there are a lot of things to do there that don’t come with the title of “Professor”. Think about the parts of your graduate training that you really like, and then work from there. Professors are not the only one doing academic-type things."
Then, go and actually read up on the industries you're interested in e.g., non-profit, think tank, look closely at non-professor roles in universities (e.g., IRB, student experience coordinator…)
Develop some connections with folks in industries that align with your secondary interests.
Be proactive! Don’t be afraid to introduce yourself and set up a Zoom (or health situation permitting) coffee meeting with them. You should try not to create lots of work for any person you network with. Such attempts are doomed to fail, e.g., “Here’s a 10,000 word paper I wrote on topic X. Please read and send me any feedback”, or "I wonder what you think of this unpublished book I wrote". But, rather, “I am interested in your work on X that I learned about through Y”, or “We have a mutual acquaintance, A, who said I should get in touch with you about your work in X. I am a grad student at Saint Louis University working on X. Would you have time to set up a brief Zoom meeting to talk about X?” Think of win/win in forging connections. There ideally has to be something in it for them too.
Look up on LinkedIn people who work in industry in sectors of your interest and connect with them.
Reach out to people at your university, your advisor, placement director and SLU’s career services. They provide you with tailored advice on your resume, cover letter and where to find jobs. For SLU, see here https://www.slu.edu/life-at-slu/career-services/index.php
Ask people to introduce you to mutual people. Don't be shy about this but don't insist if they don't respond as they might have reasons to hold off.
Example email: "Dear XXX, I am YYY, a philosophy grad student at Saint Louis University, and I've come across your work as you have just released Stillness, your app for mindfulness techniques. I’m completing a PhD in Philosophy, and my topic is mindfulness in the west, how Buddhist ideas of mindfulness are used in modern contexts, and what the metaphysical and religious significance is of such practices. I’m really fascinated by your app, and I wonder if we could set up a Zoom conversation to talk about it. Given that you are busy, I won’t take up too much of your time. Just 30 minutes should be fine. Please let me know if this is of interest to you, and we can set up an appointment. Sincerely, XXX”.
On the market
Finish your dissertation
You might think, why finish my dissertation if I am definitely going for an altac job? There are few people at your stage of career who will have been responsible for such a large, complex and extensive project as your dissertation was. Moreover, you’re in charge of that project. Alt-ac is about your skills and your accomplishments more than about e.g., how many papers you wrote. Your dissertation is part of the proven track record of your work, so you must complete it. Having it close to completion by the time you go on the market (with letters vouching for you that it’s close to completion), or having it completed thus indicates your ability to handle a complex project of this size in a timely manner.
Write a master resume and a master cover letter (more on this below)
Make a LinkedIn page that is up to date. Take care to fill it out. Get people to endorse you for skills. Don’t use LinkedIn to connect with people at places you are applying for jobs for (not considered good etiquette)
Continue to forge connections with relevant alt-ac people of your level and more senior. A lot of alt-ac hiring is about informal connections, more so than academia.
The resume
This is very different from the academic CV. The academic CV lists exhaustively your papers, presentations. By contrast, the resume is a summary. It is a persuasive document that signals to the employer that you have the right skills and proven track record for the job.
Unlike on an academic CV, you need not list individual articles or conference presentations. List as follows: “Published 3 research articles in peer-reviewed journals.” Similarly, do not list every individual conference you helped organize, just summarize the number and maybe lift out one where you did significant work in terms of logistics/content etc. organization
List your professional roles, e.g., “APA graduate student coordinator, Oct 2015 – Jan 2017”. Then for each of these focus on the skills you’ve developed and concrete things you accomplished. Avoid the words “I managed”. Managers often do nothing for things they manage, so you need to be as specific as possible.
Examples
“Editorial Assistant for Pacific Philosophical Quarterly (May 2015 – Aug 2017)
- Helped to produce a total of 8 issues of about 60 pages each of an international philosophical journal that is considered among the top in its field.
- Communicated with authors over email, ensuring timely publication
- Coordinated information flow between proofreading service, webhosts, and senior editor”
“Graduate student coordinator for the American Philosophical Association (June 2019 – present)
- Was the primary point of contact between more senior members and graduate students at the American Philosophical Association, the most prominent professional organization in the field of philosophy
- Raised awareness of concerns of graduate students
Helped increase accessibility of conferences to disabled graduate students by formulating proposals on accessibility and implementing them
- Co-organized two graduate student panels at the Central Division APA meeting in 2018 and 2019”
Length and format:
Maximum 2 pages and don’t cram (leave enough white space, so you’ll need to decide what to put on and what to leave off).
Don’t be tempted to make it fancy. Be aware that resumes are scanned by specialized software services, so make sure the relevant keywords appear on skills. A sans serif font (e.g., Calibri, arial) is more usual than a serif font (e.g., Times New Roman). The font needs to be plain and easily readable, and large enough for human eyes to comfortably read.
Template for a resume
- Personal details go on top, your name, address, how you can be contacted, website (if applicable, good idea to invest in), LinkedIn profile if available, always include email address you check regularly, and phone if you can
- Sometimes a summary that gives a sense of who you are as a worker (example below).
- Education goes next: similar to the academic CV, though it is more usual to also list GPA scores (if high enough. Don’t list if below average for your field)
- Work experience. Break this up into different roles, with dates (month, year) per role. Bullet point or line by line what you did in each. Focus on concrete accomplishments. More concrete is better
Note, it’s increasingly the norm to switch work experience and education.
Example: https://changedmy.name/about/resume.pdf
To conclude, understand the mindset of alt-ac hiring companies
Why do they want to hire you? To increase revenue, or to improve the local culture (which indirectly also increases revenue). Think of those in your approach to how you write cover letter and resume by focusing both on skill and proven track record.
Informal connection is very important. It’s rare to be hired by sending your resume cold, it’s possible to get a job even with a bad resume if there’s a connection. The connection need not be huge, but needs to be there. So you need to invest in connection with relevant people in the fields you're interested in working in. Try to frame the connection as win/win.
Further resources
Potential alt-ac jobs (this is for historians but a lot applies to philosophers too) https://roostervane.com/jobs-for-history-majors/
What do philosophers do? An Atlantic report on my interviews with philosophers outside of academia from 2014 https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/07/what-do-philosophers-do/374036/
How to improve your CV and LinkedIn profile - specific advice for academics who want a non-ac job:
Tech skills encompass a broad field, here are some skills that are in demand (from 2019)
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/11/24/top-20-tech-skills-of-2019-and-the-easiest-one-to-learn-in-2020.html
Another thing to consider when it comes to LACs/SLACs is that in 5 years, high school graduates are going to drop 5-15%. The consequent enrollment drop is likely to especially hurt non-fancy teaching institutions, since more prestigious institutions will swallow up a greater percentage of graduates to keep their enrollments high. Higher ed is going to capsize in a big way when the "demographic cliff" hits.
Pretty soon Plan Bs will need to be Plan As.
Posted by: Doom&Gloom | 11/25/2020 at 06:22 PM
Doom&Gloom,
Why are HS graduates going to drop?
I agree with your remarks conditional on that claim. Another factor that I rarely see discussed is that Corona Times are essentially a dry run for seriously digitally blended teaching. Rich schools are going to learn how to do this (reasonably) successfully, and will have the infrastructure (or money for partnerships with major tech firms) to support this environment on a massively larger scale and at a lower per-student price point. I would expect their enrollments, in raw numbers, to go up big time as a result. The capsize will be even more dramatic than you're suggesting, I think.
To be honest, my 'Plan B' has been my Plan A for a while now. I think other late-stage grad students need to get in gear, and I hope they are doing so.
Posted by: Defense on the horizon | 11/26/2020 at 08:07 AM
(apologies for the double-post! Marcus, if you're willing and able to just combine this with my other post, you are welcome to.)
And thank you, Helen, for this informative post! I think I've heretofore been underutilizing LinkedIn. Need to get on that :)
Posted by: Defense on the horizon | 11/26/2020 at 08:23 AM
Hey Defense: college enrollment is expected to drop in some areas of the country by 5% and other areas 15% by 2025 because of a declining birthrate from the Great Recession. Here’s a summary with a map of which areas are expected to be hit the hardest: https://www.cupahr.org/issue/feature/higher-ed-enrollment-cliff/
Posted by: Marcus Arvan | 11/26/2020 at 09:11 AM
I left academia straight out of grad school and started a job in ed tech a year and a half ago. (I also contributed a piece on the Cocoon.) While I'm probably more concerned than Helen about the sheer number of graduate programs---and while I wonder whether the skills one picks up in a 6-year grad program compensate for the opportunity cost---I strongly agree with pretty much all of Helen's alt-ac prep advice. It's tough to give generalizable advice (since every industry is different), but this is the best high-level piece I've read on the topic. This should be required reading in first-year grad seminars! (I'm only half-joking.)
Posted by: Samuel Kampa | 11/26/2020 at 05:20 PM