Are you a “coaster”? According to Andy Spencer at Science careers.org, coasters are graduate students who don’t think much about what they want to do with their career. Instead, they focus on simply getting a degree, thinking that they will be able to figure out what to do with it once they graduate. The “coasters” have blind faith that there will be plenty of opportunity for anyone with a Ph.D. and a post-doctorate.
This is a very dangerous assumption. Mapping what you want to do and where you want to go in your career stimulates many burning questions about what it will take to get there. As you search for the answers to these questions, you will begin to build a solid base of knowledge and contacts. Before you know it, your search for answers will have started a career network … and networking is what will open career opportunities! On the other hand, blindly completing your courses with no idea where you are going will not bring you any closer to your dream job, your dream postdoc, or the person who can help you get there.
If you are currently a Coaster, start thinking NOW about what you want to do in your “life after grad school.” Focus on doing what YOU want! Find out what kind of research he likes and would be interested in doing for the rest of his life. Not only will that help you enjoy graduate school much more, but it will likely play a key role in landing a permanent position that you will love.
As you progress through graduate school, the culmination of years of study might force you to consider two paths that diverge in seemingly opposite directions. Should I pursue an “academic” or “non-academic” career?
Just because you’re pursuing a master’s or doctorate doesn’t automatically mean that you need to become a professor or ultimately pursue a career in higher education. To help you make a more informed decision or to help you negotiate a better starting salary, take a look at Median Teacher Salaries for 2006-07.
A weak academic job market could encourage you to look beyond the ivory tower. After years of working on your thesis or dissertation, you may come to believe that you are “trained for nothing.” However, you have acquired some business skills:
Works well independently
However, finding an academic job is not as simple as sending the perfect cover letter along with the perfect resume. Most academic jobs require a resume (rather than a resume), letters of recommendation, writing samples, copies of teaching evaluations, transcripts, and sometimes a copy of the syllabus for a course you have imparted.
Academic papers are published in cycles throughout the year, reflecting the resources and schedules of individual departments. As a result, some of the hottest jobs could be published before the end of the year. So if you wait until your thesis or dissertation is finished to begin your job search, you may well have your Ph.D. in hand only to find that your dream job has already been handed over to someone else. You will be devastated to learn that the post was posted early and missed the deadline.
Be sure to read the December 2005 issue of FinishLine for information on how to better prepare for the academic job market. A “must do” is to explore whether academic and professional associations in your discipline maintain job lists; Depending on your current finances, it may be worth paying the Association membership fee if doing so can lead to good job opportunities.
Also, be a frequent visitor to the following periodic links, which include lists of jobs of interest to academics in all fields. (You can search by state and academic discipline). Some of these links send daily or weekly updates directly to your email if you sign up with them. Registration is FREE and you can unsubscribe at any time you want.
The Chronicle of Higher Education / Career Network
HigherED Jobs.Com
Academic360.com
Various topics in higher education
Within higher education
Science Careers.org
Nonprofit Professional Advisory Groups
If you’re interested in taking the path less traveled by doctors, consider reading Gaberiela Montell’s article on How to Find a Non-academic Job, on Chronicle Careers. Provides a list of web resources where you can find helpful information and job listings on a variety of alternative careers.