First, university budget cuts and increased journal costs are putting pressure on publishers. It seemed like there was no way to progress or succeed in academia. No matter how much preparation you do, you need to know what areas to target. For once, my future as a social science PhD looked bright. Newspapers, academic journals, media outlets, and grant-writing organizations are always on the lookout for professional writers. Consulting is a rewarding yet demanding eld. The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) reported that 30 years ago, only 32% of all university faculty were hired on a part-time basis. If your graduate research or life experience had an international focus and you have a flair for conflict resolution, diplomacy and mediation careers may be a good fit for you. Given the large amount of reading, writing, and editing required in the social sciences, a position at a publishing house is a great option for social science PhDs. Knowing the value of these skills and how to articulate them in the language of the business world will help you align your professional profile to industry needs. Lastly, you will likely not get benets like paid holidays or vacation, a retirement plan, or insurance. Currently, independent workers represent 30-35% of the US economy. Professionals working in development generally manage donor relations and engage in fundraising campaigns. The term, nonprofit is used to describe an organization where profit is not the main purpose, rather they are committed to a certain goal. I was surprised to learn that their skills were needed in the financial and business sectors of industry. Note that most mid- and upper-level positions require 5+ years of international experience. This stress slowly became too much for me to deal with. Alternatively, you might focus on particular think tanks or research centers. Campus teaching, writing, and learning centers are growing areas of opportunity for PhDs. Many entrepreneurs start their rst ventures as students. I was especially worried, because social science is often perceived as a soft science. Our flagship program with 8,000+ PhDs will help you get hired into the best career for your unique situation and background. So, I made the decision to transition into industry. Also, you can set job alerts on these platforms and get notifications of open jobs sent directly to your inbox. Also, you will work with people who share your passion for culture. No matter how much preparation you do, you need to know what areas to target. All Rights Reserved. Plus, high school teachers enjoy an especially long vacation time, compared to other industry positions. Publishing positions also allow you to stay connected to current research discoveries. Listen carefully and take notes. Many internships are unpaid or low-paid, so it can be helpful to do one over the summer while you are in school or during a semester when youre not teaching. Many academic and non-academic publishing companies look for professional editors and writers with a PhD. The websites below are also useful in searching for administrative positions in higher education: Consultants work with clients to provide support around strategic and/or operational issues. See full terms & conditions and privacy policy links below. For example, the American Anthropological Association offers a curated list of alt-ac career resources and workshops that could help you get started in your career exploration. For more information on this career option, reach out to alumni working in roles such as: The list provided here is by no means exhaustive. The industry is currently experiencing several changes. They are a great t for PhDs in many elds, like history, musicology, literature and cultural studies, and art history and oer a range of opportunities. This program recruits public school teachers and helps them with certification. She is passionate about educating the public about the importance of sleep and the effects of sleep loss and disruption on general health and wellbeing to increase quality of life and work productivity. All PhDs, including Social Sciences PhDs, have these essential skills: As you explore your career options, you may be concerned that you do not have real work experience. The industry is centered in New York, but there are some opportunities elsewhere. I am CEO of Cheeky Scientist, the world's largest career training platform for PhDs. Business leaders are interested in your methodology and thinking process, so this is a very practical exercise. The best source of information about open positions will be a universitys human resources page. Many colleges and universities have multiple offices dedicated to fundraising and connecting with alumni. They often work 60 to 80 hours a week. Internships are the entry point to book publishing, which is an apprenticeship industry. Columbia Organization of Rising Entrepreneurs (CORE): Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE): Pierre Omidyar, founder of eBay, created a niche when he built a platform for people to buy and sell items online. Most PhDs dont initially think of nonprofits as an attractive career option. A useful way to nd these and other positions is to do a keyword search on the USA Jobs site. You may want to choose private schools as a rst step in a teaching career. Common roles for social science PhDs include: Roles in investment banking are often very demanding and fast-paced. These organizations value the subject knowledge and experience that you bring as a PhD, such as research, writing, analysis, and presentation skills. As a Social Sciences PhD, your area of specialization may have some direct applications in other industries. A portfolio of advanced programs that provide specific career training so you can get hired into top PhD jobs. Entrepreneurs work in business, social enterprise, and on solo projects. There are endless industry opportunities available to social science PhDs. Educational consultants might work in the nonprot division of a large management consulting rm, at smaller educational consulting companies, or independently. Approach your informational interviews like a field study. You may be familiar with some examples. Private educational consultants help parents navigate the secondary school and higher education systems. Think tanks and research centers often hire PhDs for their research, analytical, and writing skills. With over 200,000 monthly readers from 150 countries and 15,000 individual subscribing PhD members from 60 countries, we are a global authority on getting PhDs hired into top industry careers. For example, you could look for jobs teaching in a summer program run by private schools or you might contact schools for substitute or part-time openings. Independent and freelance work is increasingly common across many industries. You may even be able to transition into a full-time job at a company where you are working as a temp or contractor. During your graduate training, you refined a set of transferable skills that apply to jobs out of academia. Advising and support roles are available in student and academic affairs offices. To be a successful freelancer, you will need to have excellent management skills, organizational skills, and have a self-starting mentality. Each of these roles uses the skills you have built during your PhD in different ways. At a commercial bank, you may have more opportunities to work with clients and use your verbal and written communication skills. I started to think about alternative careers outside of academia. If youre interested in this type of work, build a portfolio of writing for general audiences. Common topics to write about include foreign policy, security, microeconomic policy and social policy. These quantitative and qualitative research skills make social science PhDs great candidates to transition into the financial industry. When libraries cannot afford to buy monographs, presses are less able to publish them. Nonprot organizations cover a wide range of organizations, including health, educational, religious, arts, and charitable organizations, as well as advocacy groups, professional societies, and research institutes. One particular consulting area that would be well-suited for social science PhDs is educational consulting. With advanced training in the humanities and social sciences, you will nd a wealth of rewarding job options in many elds, including qualitative research, writing and communications, public service, consulting, advising, teaching, publishing, and more. Use your strong research and writing skills in an institutional research department. Unfortunately, not all professional associations have made proactive efforts to find solutions to the shortage of tenure-track positions in their respective fields. However, if you look at Angela Merkel, Germanys Chancellor, who has a PhD in chemistry, you might change your mind. Marketing and public relations promote institutions to the public, and development raises money through grants from foundations and individual donors to help fund the institution. Another option within the nance industry is commercial banking. Academic publishing companies print and distribute scholarship in journal, book, or thesis form. However, the lack of job prospects within academia means that this doesnt happen. Projects may offer short-term relief or long-term social change through sustainable practices. 2022 Cheeky Scientist LLC. Think Tanks often perform research and advocacy on matters of government policy. You likely received a stipend, scholarship or other form of funding for your PhD program. There are also various opportunities to work as an educational consultant. While college counselors often have degrees in counseling, it is not mandatory. Others work as high school college counselors, and help students navigate the application process. You will learn a lot about your values and desires in the process. While these university faculty are only hired on a part-time basis, which tends not to lead to a tenured position, many are still expected to complete a full-time workload. These include working for nonprofit organizations, entrepreneurship, working for government or the financial industry, or doing professional research. That was until I started hearing more of my former colleagues talk about their transition into consulting and financial service roles. I watched as the news reported cuts to research funding. Like many PhDs, you might imagine yourself in a research position where you are developing and performing experiments, analyzing data, presenting the data to your research team, and so on. Your PhD, in other words, was a job. For example, you might look for positions in a particular industry or eld. Working in a think tank or research center provides an opportunity to advocate for important issues that might be neglected in government or public policy. You could also use skills gained from your PhD as a Central Intelligence Agency analyst or a researcher for the Government Accountability Office. These projects may create a niche market or address a social need. There are multiple career options for social science PhDs outside the ivory tower. The best way to understand new industries and roles is by speaking directly with the professionals who work in these spaces. This work environment makes a freelancer position particularly well-suited to PhDs who have families and want to spend more time at home. For social science PhDs who want to have more flexibility surrounding their work situation, freelance positions can be a good industry opportunity. Unlike the non-existent job prospects I faced in academia, there were seemingly endless prospects for me in industry. Academic publishing will continue to adapt to this shift in the coming years. Newspapers, magazines, and online publications also hire PhDs to write in their areas of expertise. With over 1.7 million jobs and over 400 occupational specialties, the federal government is one of the largest employers in the United States. This might include attending information sessions, networking with industry professionals, or researching companies. It felt like watching animals around a drying watering hole. Work weeks often exceed 50-60 hours and projects may be due at 9am the day after theyre assigned. Corporations, governments, and nonprot organizations all hire consultants. Cheeky Scientist is the world's largest job-search training platform for PhDs. In no uncertain terms, I was told that moving to industry meant I was selling out. After all, thats what your PhD has trained you for, right? According to PhD Career Guide, financial positions offer great opportunities for career progression, which can lead to large salaries of up to $300,000. Within government, there are multiple job options, ranging from diplomats and scientists, to consultants and politicians, making this an area with options suited to all PhDs. While you may think that professional writers are just people who write books, there are writing positions available across a wide range of areas. Another such program is Teach for America. But, if you dont know what types of jobs are out there, you wont be able to successfully transition into industry. Here is a list of the top 10 industry positions for social science PhDs. My advisor kept asking me to do more and more extra work to earn grants that I would not benefit from. It was literally a survival of the fittest situation. You may be well-suited to this type of position if you enjoy teaching and working directly with students and faculty. Consultancy is an excellent alternative career option for a social science PhD who has gained a variety of skills and expertise during their PhD or postdoc. Common forms of employment at think tanks include analysts who assist the research process by collecting and analyzing data. Beyond that, I hadnt thoroughly considered my options. Another path is higher education consulting, which is a small but growing industry. She is also committed to mentoring students across all demographics, helping them reach their full potential. But if the thought of spending a life-long career conducting experiments fills you with dread, start looking beyond the bench. If you want free insights on resumes, LinkedIn, interviewing, careers and more, just enter your details below. All industry areas are extremely eager to hire PhDs, who they know already have the invaluable research skills needed for the job. The transferable skills you gained during your PhD mean that you could work for a publishing company in any discipline. Our Training Platforms Individual Subscription, Resources for Graduate Schools and Postdoc Offices, 5 Jobs for History PhDs That Have Nothing to Do with History. Apply to book a Transition Call here. This advice can be in areas of management, marketing, human resources, finance, education, and information technologies. As a social scientist, you have valuable skills that can be applied in a variety of industries. For example, analysists read academic, government and white papers, as well as news stories that are contributed to reports that the think tank publishes and uses to influence policy.
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