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Career Options Outside Academia - Articles and Advice

These links offer the wisdom of those who advise PhD's and those who have successfully navigated the world outside academia. Students are welcome to discuss these issues with our Associate Director for Graduate Student Career Services, Rosanne Ecker. Appointments can be arranged by calling 315 443-3616. Please report dead links.

Articles on making the decision to leave academia
Articles on breaking in to nonacademic jobs with little or no experience
Articles on identifying your assets
Information for careers in specific fields
Articles on the ABC's of job hunting
Other articles

Articles on making the decision to leave academia

What Else Can I Do? And Other Frequent Questions
Frequently asked questions
http://chronicle.com/jobs/news/2003/06/2003062701c/careers.html
:

The Dentist and the Oracle
Key questions to ask when deciding what to do when leaving academia http://chronicle.com/jobs/news/2005/11/2005110901c/careers.html

How to Do What You Love
Questions to ask yourself when deciding on a direction for your career http://chronicle.com/jobs/news/2002/11/2002110401c/careers.html

When to Let the Academic Dream Die
Advice on changing your goals
http://chronicle.com/jobs/news/2001/12/2001121401c/careers.html

Switching Sides
This article discusses opportunities for non-tenure track jobs within a university setting, such as research & administration http://chronicle.com/jobs/news/2006/02/2006020901c/careers.html

Is It Career Suicide?
Advice for those who are considering working outside academia who may wish to then move into a faculty position at a later date http://chronicle.com/jobs/news/2006/03/2006032201c/careers.html

To Work or To Finish
Should an A.B.D. take a corporate research job before completing his degree? http://chronicle.com/jobs/news/2004/06/2004062401c/careers.html

Articles on breaking in to nonacademic jobs with little or no experience

Starting at the Bottom
Advice for Ph.D.’s without experience outside academia
http://chronicle.com/jobs/2002/05/2002050801c.htm

Breaking In as a Temp
Strategies for getting your foot in the door
http://chronicle.com/jobs/news/2003/05/2003053001c/careers.html

How to Get Started as a Freelancer
Advice on doing freelance work as a means to gain experience http://chronicle.com/jobs/news/2002/08/2002080201c/careers.html

Jump-Starting Your Government Career
Advice on internships to gain experience
http://chronicle.com/jobs/news/2002/03/2002031801c/careers.html

How Internships Can Open Doors for New Careers
This article offers several convincing reasons to do an internship outside academia http://chronicle.com/jobs/news/2000/08/2000080401c/careers.html

Articles on identifying your assets

Transferring Your Skills to a Non-Academic Setting
Advice on marketing your skills outside the academy
http://chronicle.com/jobs/v45/i16/4516beyond.htm

Recasting Yourself for Non-Academic Jobs
A case study of a Ph.D. in linguistics who has successfully made the transition to non-academia http://chronicle.com/jobs/2000/02/2000021801c.htm

Information for careers in specific fields

Careers for Ph.D.’s in the Nonprofit World
Information on careers in non-profits
http://chronicle.com/jobs/2000/09/2000091501c.htm

Careers for Scientists in Patent Law
Information on law careers
http://chronicle.com/jobs/news/2000/06/2000060901c/printable.html

A Nonacademic Career in Academe
Advice on careers within a university setting
http://chronicle.com/jobs/news/2005/06/2005062001c/careers.html

Getting Paid to Eat
A personal story of how a Ph.D. in Baroque Spanish Theater became a food critic http://chronicle.com/jobs/news/2005/07/2005071901c/careers.html

This Pen for Hire
A personal story of how a Ph.D. in Musicology became a freelance copywriter http://chronicle.com/jobs/news/2005/07/2005071301c/careers.html

Breaking Into Publishing
Key ingredients for starting a career in academic publishing
http://chronicle.com/jobs/news/2004/11/2004111201c/careers.html

Why More and More Ph.D.’s are Turning to Consulting
Information about the consulting field for Ph.D.’s
http://chronicle.com/jobs/news/2000/11/2000111701c/careers.html

Square Peg, Round Hole
A Ph.D. in literature tells how he transformed himself into a freelance science writer http://chronicle.com/jobs/news/2004/08/2004080601c/careers.html

Finding Nonacademic Work Overseas
A Ph.D. finds her niche in the international division of a large corporation http://chronicle.com/jobs/news/2004/02/2004021601c/careers.html

Turning Ph.D.’s into Librarians
Information on becoming an academic librarian
http://chronicle.com/jobs/news/2003/10/2003101601c/careers.html

Careers for Ph.D.’s in the Association World
Information about working for an association
http://chronicle.com/jobs/news/2001/07/2001070603c/careers.html

Careers for Ph.D.’s in MuseumsIdeas for alternative careers in museums http://chronicle.com/jobs/news/2000/10/2000101303c/careers.html

How to Land a Career in Technical Writing
Advice on the job search in technical writing
http://chronicle.com/jobs/news/2000/05/2000051201c/careers.html

Leaving the Bench for a Corporate Perch
Advice for those considering leaving scientific research for corporate life http://chronicle.com/jobs/news/2002/09/2002090401c/careers.html

Articles on the ABC’s of job hunting

A Sample Plan
This article discusses a one-year plan for a non-academic job search
http://chronicle.com/jobs/2001/11/2001110202c.htm

From C.V. to Résumé
A discussion of the difference between the two, and advice on how to convert a C.V. to a Résumé http://chronicle.com/jobs/news/1999/12/99120301c/careers.html

A C.V. Revised Into a Résumé
This article provides an example of a résumé and a C.V. before it was converted http://chronicle.com/jobs/news/2004/12/2004121703c/careers.html

What You Don’t Know About Cover Letters
Important information for Ph.D.’s who are searching for a non-academic position, especially if moving away from the subject area of their graduate field http://chronicle.com/jobs/2002/06/2002061101c.htm

Networking Your Way to a Job
Two stories of humanities Ph.D.’s who have developed alternative careers. Networking was the key ingredient. http://chronicle.com/jobs/2000/01/2000012101c.htm

Coffee in 2002, A Job in 2004
Networking has long-term effects
http://chronicle.com/jobs/news/2005/01/2005012001c/careers.html

Informational Interviewing 101
How-to’s in informational interviewing
http://chronicle.com/jobs/news/2001/04/2001041301c/careers.html

The Secret to a Successful Job Interview
Information about job interviews for jobs outside academia
http://chronicle.com/jobs/2000/12/2000120801c.htm

Negotiating Salary in the Nonacademic World
Advice for salary negotiations
http://chronicle.com/jobs/news/2001/10/2001100801c/careers.html

Speak up, Shake Hands, and Smile
An article on business etiquette
http://chronicle.com/jobs/2005/09/2005093001c.htm

Common Job-Hunting Blunders
Advice on job-hunting skills
http://chronicle.com/jobs/news/2005/10/2005102801c/careers.html

Outside, Over There
A discussion of web blogs and other sites for nonacademia
http://chronicle.com/jobs/news/2005/05/2005051301c/careers.html

Other articles:

Anthropologists Go Native in the Corporate Village
An article in FastCompany that discusses the role of Ph.D.’s in anthropology in corporate life http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/05/anthro.html

Four Steps to Succeeding Outside the Ivory Tower
An article in Ivory Tower offers lessons in working outside academia
http://www.salon.com/it/career/1999/03/29career.html

Nonacademic Careers for Scientific Psychologists
APA Online article on success stories of scientific psychologists in nonacademic careers http://www.apa.org/science/nonacad_careers.html

Nonacademic Careers for Scientific Psychologists: The Skills and Knowledge that Employers Seek
APA Online article on scientific psychologists’ skills & knowledge that are applicable to nonacademic settings http://www.apa.org/science/nonacad-skills.html

Some Scientists Trade Test Tubes for Patent Law
Article from the Boston Globe http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2004/03/15/some_scientists_trade_test_tubes_for_patent_law/

 

 

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