Demoralized

[Anonymous]

OP what is your PhD field? Do you have data skills or are you in a humanities field?

I have a PhD in psychology (research not clinical) and I have been pleasantly surprised at the kinds of opportunities I had outside of academia. I’m now 15 years out of grad school and run a research department at a nonprofit for $200k+ a year. The research I do now is not really related to what I studied in grad school. But I did leave academia immediately after grad school so I had less career changer baggage than you would.

If your PhD is in a social science and you have data skills, there will be something out there for you. The hardest part will be getting that first job. In my applied research field, I’d be willing to take a chance on hiring a former professor, but if they were coming in without subject matter expertise they might start at a level that is closer to that of a new PhD than of someone with the same years of experience in the subject matter. But it also might not take too long to move up into a more senior researcher position. So that’s something else to keep in mind—a first nonacademic job at a less-than-ideal salary won’t stay at that level forever.

[Anonymous]

OP here, thanks for all the thoughts, this gives me some things to think about. I do sometimes pick up freelance work, and I have a (low-paying but easy) second job that helps make ends meet. I do have research and quantitative analysis skills that may enable me to make a move such as the PP suggested, and I do have a friend who left the academe to do corporate training, so I’ll reach out to her as well. I appreciate the helpful answers!

[Anonymous]

SAT/GRE/LSAT tutor for the next generation of students who are about to invade your classroom. Their white entitled parents will pay through the nose to ensure that their spoiled brats have the best odds against other similarly-situated ingrates.

How are you at managing large projects? Many companies will pay 150k+ for project/program/product managers, especially of tech projects, even if you don’t necessarily know tech. How are you at writing clearly and concisely? Companies will pay similarly for technical writers. The tech industry is filled with successful people who switched careers.

[Anonymous]

PP here. Corporate training also a good go-to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:SAT/GRE/LSAT tutor for the next generation of students who are about to invade your classroom. Their white entitled parents will pay through the nose to ensure that their spoiled brats have the best odds against other similarly-situated ingrates.

How are you at managing large projects? Many companies will pay 150k+ for project/program/product managers, especially of tech projects, even if you don’t necessarily know tech. How are you at writing clearly and concisely? Companies will pay similarly for technical writers. The tech industry is filled with successful people who switched careers.

Technical writers need to understand tech very well and ideally a user of that tech (so either engineering or software, obviously it depends on the context).
Product managers typically have technical degrees.
The ones that don't know the tech typically have MBAs.
I'm not saying a PhD can't do these things, but it's not a given especially in this market.
I agree that project management is not out of reach, but really depends on the OP's background and whether they can craft a story about "delivering." these larger companies like people who have those BS qualifications like PMP.

[Anonymous]

I have a PhD and work at a research organization. Academia is a mess and is not likely to improve in the near term. If I were the OP I would not give up a tenured position - both the tuition benefits and the job security are impossible to beat. Find ways to monetize your expertise outside of the classroom. If you tell us what your field is, we may have some good ideas.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Many of the professors at the Division I college in my town have side businesses going. Their side businesses are sometimes related to their field but many times are totally unrelated to their academic field.

Most of the restaurants in my town are owned and operated by groups of professors.

Those in biological sciences own research companies. Some of these companies now trade on the NY stock exchange. All of the research companies started on very very small shoe strings.

Can you keep your professor job for the benefits and start some kind of side gig?

Also a professor and the halls in my building are empty. I earn the same salary as a full professor that my 25 year old daughter earns with a BA. I believe all the faculty where I work have second and even third jobs. The people
Who lose out in this scenario are the parents who pay outrageous tuition for this mess!!

Agree. Outrageous tuition increasing every year for this? It’s untenable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am a tenured professor and have worked in higher ed for a quarter of a century. It’s become insufferable. According to MIT’s living wage calculator, my salary is below a living wage. I earn less in one year than a full pay student pays in tuition, room and board. We get raises across the board, no more than 2% ever, no merit raises, and as such my salary is significantly less than my starting salary as an assistant professor when adjusted for inflation, and even worse when you calculate the changes to benefits. Each year we are asked to do more and more with fewer resources. Faculty are hostile to one another and the administration, students are cheating more than ever, entitled, and post unfair and untrue comments on social media and course evaluations.

The only saving grace at the moment is the tuition benefits for DCs. And that may even be on the chopping block.

Unfortunately I cannot make a lateral move in academia, and making any move whatsoever within academia is unlikely. I’ve applied for government jobs and nonprofits and gotten nowhere. Industry jobs in my area of expertise, if you can call them that, are even lower paying.

So as the subject says, the situation is all around demoralizing. I don’t know what to do.

It’s a part time job. Even back in my college days my full time professor my school was a full time professor at a second nearby college. He said I need two to get a full time salary.