job issues

[i_broke_it_]

I've been reading a few academic blogs lately, and one issue everyone brings up is how hard it is to get a job after grad school, especially for humanities people (see http://academiccog.blogspot.com/ as an example). Basically, most people seem to say "Don't go to grad school, if you

Comments

[bafooz]

I'm in history (modern China). I will run screaming for civil service (just like my mother, who is also a historian) & a government job if it's a choice between that or being an adjunct for the rest of my life.

I had long discussions prior to applying to grad school with a family friend who is in a field related to mine - she has done just about -everything- (private foundations, non-profits, think tanks, government appointments, and now she's teaching at a very, very good university) & was adamant that (a) I needed a PhD no matter what I want to do and (b) if academia doesn't pan out, there ARE options. I know that's not the case for every field ... but it's one reason I tilted towards the side of my (broad) field I did. I probably would've been very happy studying lit in an EALC department, but was worried about what I'd do after.

Again, total sacrilege to mention such a thing, but my mom has gotten do more history on a professional level than some of my history profs who bounced from adjunct position to adjunct position. It's a different kind of work than she'd be doing in academia ... but that's OK with me. I want an academic job. But if I can't get one, I've got options.

[dragondaisy10]

this is both encouraging and reassuring. i also want an academic job, but then again, i'm trying to be realistic, especially since i'm shooting for a literature phd. thanks for your reply and the infos!

[bafooz]

My suggestion is to find people outside of academia who are doing things you'd be interested in doing (even if it's 'tangentially' related). I think my profs always had their blinders on to other options ... I understand why, but I also don't think the 'ONLY get your PhD if you are dead set on teaching' mindset does students' any favors. JMHO.

(I will say that I mentioned none of this in my SOP, as I really DO want an academic job. I'm just not willing to go to any lengths to get one, especially not bouncing around every year over the span of a decade ... or longer).

[brittdreams]

Oh, I totally agree with the idea that there are options. My mother got her PhD when I was a kid and has never worked a day in academia. She actually didn't even TA as a grad student because she was on a fellowship then had a research assistantship the entire time. She never even went on the job market (though she has been offered faculty jobs anyway). She gets to practice her discipline in a way that she couldn't as a professor. And she's happy (and we had food!). All things that are important to keep in mind.